Odds of Dementia Rise with Increase in Cardiovascular Risks

In that cardiovascular risk factors are associated with a higher risk of developing dementia, Alvaro Alonso, from University of Minnesota School of Public Health (USA), and colleagues investigated the impact of these risks at midlife on future development of dementia. The team analyzed data on 11,151 participants enrolled in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, ages 46 to 70 years at the study’s start, following them for twelve years to identify cases of dementia that developed.  The researchers found that the subjects with diabetes in middle age were twice as likely (as compared to non-diabetics of the same age) to develop dementia later in life. Dementia also struck middle-aged smokers at 70% increased likelihood (as compared to those who never smoked).  And, middle-aged people with high blood pressure were 60% more likely to develop dementia, as compared to same-aged subjects with blood pressure in the normal range.  Concludes the team: “In this prospective study, smoking, hypertension and diabetes were strongly associated with subsequent risk of hospitalisation with dementia, particularly in middle-aged individuals. Our results emphasise the importance of early lifestyle modification and risk factor treatment to prevent dementia.”