It is a disorder that affects no less than 50 million people worldwide and one of the main causes of loss of autonomy: dementia. “It manifests itself by an increasing impairment of memory and cognitive functions as well as behavioral disorders”, specifies the World Health Organization (WHO). Researchers from the University of Exeter Medical School in England and the University of Queensland in Australia found that people at higher risk of various health conditions, such as falls or certain chronic illnesses, were more likely to develop a neurodegenerative disease. Their results are published in the revue JAMA Neurology.
Suffering from different pathologies during aging increases the risk of dementia
Starting point for this research work, one observation: the rhythm of aging varies from person to person. Researchers have noticed that with age, some people can accumulate different health problems, such as chronic illnesses. Researchers define this difference as a fragilitynamely “a health condition linked to aging (…) that makes individuals more likely to experience adverse health effects such as fallsdisability and hospitalization”.
The researchers therefore wanted to differentiate the different degrees of fragility and the effects that this could have on the risk of degenerative diseases. To do this, they based themselves on data from nearly 30,000 participants enrolled in four studies in the United Kingdom and the United States. These data allowed researchers to detect changes in people’s health and functioning 20 years before a dementia diagnosis.
Spotting signs of “fragility” in aging could reduce the risk of dementia
They found that this “fragility” increased a person’s risk of dementia. More precisely, these results “show that with 4 to 5 additional health problemsthe risk of developing dementia is on average 40% higherwhile for people in better shape, the risk is lower”summarizes Dr. David Ward of the Center for Health Services Research in a press release.
For his part, Professor David Llewellyn of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Exeter believes that “this study is crucial because it identifies frailty as a significant predictor of dementia risk”. The latter specifies that this offers “a potential avenue for early intervention to improve health outcomes”.
In the press release, Dr David Ward explains that in “Understanding the link between aging, frailty and dementia, we can use targeted intervention strategies to reduce risk and improve quality of life”. Also, the authors therefore call for screening for “fragility” in routine examinations and encouraging lifestyle interventions, such as regular physical exercise and balanced diets, which, remember, help prevent frailty. onset of dementia.
Sources :
- Frailty Trajectories Preceding Dementia in the US and UK – JAMA Neurology – 11/11/2024
- Age related health decline a predictor of future dementia risk – University of Queensland – 12/11/2024
