Are You At Risk For Dementia?

Significant loss of cognitive (mental) function that is severe enough to affect a person’s daily life is what we commonly call as dementia. Dementia is not a disease in itself, but a condition consisting of symptoms related to a decline in memory, reasoning, and thinking. These symptoms are often associated with elderly individuals (starting at 65 years or older), although they are not considered a normal part of the aging process. Many people do grow old with some symptoms of forgetfulness, but they are not severe enough to disrupt their daily functioning. On the other hand, people who develop dementia may experience progressive deterioration of mental functions that they will eventually require help to do basic functions such as eating, dressing up, and avoiding accidents.

Many people begin to have signs of dementia by the time they are 65, and their risk doubles every five years. This is a bit scary for many, especially for those who have a close relative who have the condition. Many wonder, therefore, if they may be at risk of developing dementia, which may begin even at an earlier age.

Dementia: Causes And Risk Factors

Alzheimer’s disease is caused by the loss of neurons (nerve cells) in the brain. Other possible, but less common causes of dementia include Parkinson’s disease, stroke, head injury, infection of the brain, substance abuse, nutritional deficiencies, and more. Approximately 20% of these conditions are treatable causes of dementia, while the rest remain untreatable.

Much research has been done regarding what risk factors are related to dementia. Research shows that some people have a greater risk of developing dementia compared to others. One study, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry (2003), found that there may be a possible correlation between height and death from dementia. The meta-analysis, which involved more than 180,000 adults who were followed for about ten years, found that there was a significant increase in risk of dementia associated with each standard deviation decrease in height for both men and women.

Another study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (2008) found that several risk factors are related to Alzheimer’s disease. The analysis of data from more than 3,000 articles showed that genetic factors, pre-existing vascular conditions, lifestyle factors, and certain sociodemographic factors influence one’s risk of developing the disease. These risk factors include:

• Having a strong family history of dementia
• High blood pressure (systolic blood pressure of at least 160 mmHg)
• High cholesterol
• High total dietary fat intake, but low omega-3 fatty acid intake
• Low levels of physical activity
• Lack of daily mental activity
• Heavy alcohol intake
• Tobacco smoking
• Past history of head injury
• Short periods of education
• Exposure to environmental toxins

See Also: Go For A Daily Run And Lower Your Risk Of Dementia

A more recent study published in Neurology (2014) reported that older adults who exhibit motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR) have a greater tendency to develop dementia. This pre-dementia condition is characterized by slow gait (pattern of limb movement) and cognitive complaints. The researchers found that people who have MCR were also most likely to be obese, depressed, sedentary, and with a history of stroke or Parkinson’s disease.

Can You Prevent Dementia?

Studies suggest that apart from your age and genetic pool, which you cannot change or modify, most of the risk factors involved in the development of the disease are preventable. Not everyone who lives to be 80 or older develops Alzheimer’s disease or some other type of dementia, and certainly not everyone who has a relative who has the disease will develop it for sure. Therefore, there may be other risk factors involved that you can potentially modify to avoid causing progressive permanent damage to your brain.

For instance, studies suggest that a reduced risk of dementia is found in people who do not smoke, in those who consume alcohol moderately, and in those who consume a healthy dietwith less fat and sugar.

People who are not obese and have normal blood pressures and normal cholesterol levels are also less likely to become mentally impaired in their old age.

Furthermore, there are some causes of dementia that are potentially treatable. These include dementia that is related to chronic substance abuse, head injury, some brain tumors, nutritional deficiency, and other medical conditions. Studies have also suggested that patients who take certain medications for other medical conditions are less likely to develop dementia. These medications include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (for arthritis and other types of pain), estrogens (for post-menopausal women), statins (for high cholesterol), antihypertensives (for high blood pressure), and vitamin supplements (such as vitamins C, E and B complex). However, experts do not recommend taking these drugs for the purpose of preventing dementia since there are no studies that show evidence that they directly prevent the condition.

Assessing Your Risk Of Dementia

If you are wondering what your risk of developing dementia is, you may want to use some risk assessment tools, which scientists have prepared, based on available evidence. These tools can help you get an idea what your risk factors are, but they do not necessarily suggest that you will develop dementia in the future. 

One dementia assessment tool offered by The Copper Ridge Institute is an online memory survey, which is a self-assessment that also includes risk factors such as physical health, lifestyle factors, and sociodemographic factors. It does not diagnose, but helps to educate people on what contributes to dementia. At the end of the assessment, you can print the results of the survey and show it to your doctor for further guidance.

See Also: Breakthrough Replicates Human Brain Cells For Alzheimer's Research

Another simple tool proposed by researchers from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City is the test for motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR), wherein older patients who have memory complaints are asked to walk while timing their walking speed over eight to ten seconds. Patients who have a slow gait or a walking speed that is slower than one meter per second (about 2.2 miles per hour) may be at risk for developing dementia.