Dementia: two new risk factors – Living

Along with cancer, dementia is probably the disease that scares human beings the most. A slow death that makes us forget who we are, that erases from our memories all the special moments of our lives, that turns our dearest family and friends into strangers, and that only stops when there is nothing left. It is terrible to imagine that we could go through this, just as it is terrible to think that one day our parents might look at us without a shred of recognition. In 2020, a report identified 12 risk factors for developing dementia. Now, according to a paper just published in the medical journal The Lancetwritten by 27 dementia experts, There are two new factors that contribute to the development of the disease: high cholesterol and vision loss.

These two new factors are added to the 12 previously identified, namely: low literacy, head injuries, low levels of physical activity, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, hearing loss, depression, air pollution and infrequent social contacts.

According to Gill Livingston, a professor of older adult psychiatry at University College London and one of the people involved in the study, the 12 initial risks were directly linked to 40% of dementia cases. The new report suggests that treatment targeting the current 14 risk factors could help eliminate or delay the onset of dementia in 45% of cases.

In an interview with the British newspaper The GuardianLivingston said it is increasingly clear that “there is a lot that people can and should do” to reduce their risk of dementia. “People around the world think that dementia is inevitable, but it is not. Our report concludes that it is possible to greatly increase the chances of not developing dementia or delaying the onset of symptoms,” explained the specialist.

So, according to the new report, the two new risk factors are associated with 9% of dementia cases. With 7% of cases having a direct link to high levels of LDL cholesterol – the “bad” cholesterol – from the age of 40, and 2% of cases are related to untreated vision loss in old age.

Predictions outlined in the report suggest that, by 2050, the number of people with dementia worldwide is expected to triple, reaching 153 million, with global health and social costs expected to exceed €923 billion. This information on new risk factors provides hope that these predictions may be reversed and is an additional incentive for people to be more vigilant and take better care of their health.