The risk of early dementia can be reduced with lifestyle changes. The results were published in the journal JAMA NeurologyChallenge the idea that genetics is the sole cause of this disease.
Approximately 370 thousand cases of early-onset dementia are reported worldwide each year. More than 350,000 UK residents aged under 65 took part in the new study.
The analysis found that low education levels, low socioeconomic status, alcohol abuse and social isolation, as well as health problems such as vitamin D deficiency, depression, stroke, hearing loss and heart disease, significantly increase the risk of early-onset dementia.
It is now recognized that up to 40% of dementia cases in older people worldwide are associated with lifestyle factors that may be affected. It is often assumed that bad genetics is the sole cause of dementia in young people, but new research casts doubt on this.
“We already knew from studies of people who develop dementia later in life that there are a number of modifiable risk factors. As well as physical factors, mental health also plays an important role, such as avoiding chronic stress, loneliness and depression. It’s surprising to me that this is also true for early dementia and may create risk reduction opportunities in this group as well,” said Sebastian Köhler, professor of neuroepidemiology at Maastricht University.
Previous scientists in the name A possible cause of a false positive test for dementia.