
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Depression, vitamin D deficiency, social isolation and diabetes are among a dozen health issues that can increase the risk of early-onset dementia, according to a new study published Tuesday, the latest evidence on causes of the condition beyond genetics.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>The&nbsp;<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/article-abstract/2813439" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a>&nbsp;published in the American Medical Association’s JAMA Neurology found people who are vitamin D deficient or suffer from depression are at a higher risk for experiencing dementia symptoms before the age of 65, as are those with diabetes, heart disease, stroke, a hearing impairment or a form of low blood pressure called orthostatic hypotension.</p>



<p>Factors associated with a lower risk of early-onset dementia included education (having an academic or professional degree), socioeconomic status (wealthier people had a lowered risk) and alcohol use (moderate to heavy drinkers had the lowest association with dementia, while those who didn’t drink at all or with alcohol use disorder were at higher risk).</p>



<p>Researchers with the University of Exeter, Maastricht University and other institutions studied more than 330,000 people under the age of 65 from the United Kingdom and considered 39 risk factors across medical, demographic, lifestyle and environmental factors, among other indicators.</p>



<p>Early-onset dementia often&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/types-dementia/diagnosing-young-onset-dementia" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">presents</a>&nbsp;as a change in personality or behavior in people between 30 and 60 years old and is estimated to impact 3.9 million people around the world, the study says— about 5% of people with Alzheimer&#8217;s disease or other dementia illnesses develop symptoms before age 65,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/in-depth/alzheimers/art-20048356#:~:text=Young%2Donset%20(also%20called%20early,develop%20symptoms%20before%20age%2065." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according to</a>&nbsp;the Mayo Clinic</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>40%. A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thelancet.com/article/S0140-6736(20)30367-6/fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2020 report</a>&nbsp;of the Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention, Intervention and Care suggests late-onset dementia cases (in those older than 65) could be reduced by as much as 40% if certain risk factors are eliminated like smoking, high alcohol intake and depression.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">SURPRISING FACT</h2>



<p>While preventative risk factors for late-onset dementia include physical activity, healthy diet, socialization and cognitive activity, authors of the new study said it&#8217;s unclear if the same factors apply to early-onset cases.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Early or young-onset dementia can be attributed to a wider range of diseases than those that impact older people, and people grappling with early-onset cases are more likely to experience a wide range of symptoms in the starting stages,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/types-dementia/young-onset-dementia#content-start" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according to</a>&nbsp;the Alzheimer&#8217;s Society. Memory loss is often not an early symptom of young-onset dementia, and patients are more likely to experience problems with movement, walking, coordination or balance. Often called &#8220;working-age dementia,&#8221; the new study describes the condition as having a &#8220;particularly high&#8221; personal, societal and economic cost on younger people because of consequences to employment, social life and familial responsibilities.</p>


Dementia bran scan research

Early-Onset Dementia Risk Tied To Alcoholism, Social Isolation And These Other Factors, Study Finds


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>The number of adults worldwide with dementia could rise from about 57.4 million in 2019 to 152.8 million by 2050, driven by factors like midlife obesity, smoking and social isolation, according to a <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(21)00249-8/fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> published Thursday by the <em>Lancet</em>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>While improvements in education are forecast to reduce dementia cases by 6.2 million in 2050, researchers said this would be counteracted by trends in obesity, high blood sugar and smoking, which are projected to cause an additional 6.8 million cases, the&nbsp;<em>Guardian</em>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jan/06/number-adults-with-dementia-exceed-150-million-2050-study" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.</p>



<p>Risk factors for dementia also include hypertension, depression, physical inactivity, diabetes, excessive alcohol consumption, head injury, exposure to air pollution and low education, researchers said.</p>



<p>The rate of dementia is projected to rise in every country, ranging from a 1,926% increase in Qatar to a 27% increase in Japan, while dementia cases in the U.S. are expected to increase by about 99.67%.</p>



<p>Researchers estimated that dementia prevalence would increase by roughly 117% by 2050 due to growth of the elderly population alone, a factor forecast to have the severest impact in East Asia.</p>



<p>Globally, there will be 83.2 million adults with dementia in 2030 and 116 million in 2040, researchers estimated.</p>



<p>To reduce the risk of dementia, policymakers must support low-cost programs promoting exercise, a healthy diet and quitting smoking, lead author Emma Nichols, a researcher at the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jan/06/number-adults-with-dementia-exceed-150-million-2050-study" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a> the <em>Guardian</em>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Dementia is a syndrome, usually progressive, that harms memory and other functions of thought beyond what would usually be expected from aging. Though dementia can result from Alzheimer’s disease or from a stroke, it is not an inevitable consequence of aging, the World Health Organization&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>. A 2020&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30367-6/fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a>&nbsp;published by the&nbsp;<em>Lancet</em>&nbsp;suggested that low education might be a risk factor for dementia, because improved health education helps decrease the risk of head injury or of excessive alcohol drinking.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>$818 billion. That’s the annual global cost of treating dementia, the WHO&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/07-12-2017-dementia-number-of-people-affected-to-triple-in-next-30-years" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">estimated</a>&nbsp;in 2017.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CONTRA</h2>



<p>Researchers are exploring vaccines or treatments for Alzheimer’s, the disease that causes 60-70% of all dementia cases, according to WHO&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">estimates</a>. In November, Boston’s Brigham and Women&#8217;s Hospital began early&nbsp;<a href="https://pix11.com/news/morning/doctor-explains-new-research-giving-hope-to-those-affected-by-alzheimers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">trials</a>&nbsp;of a nasal spray that could become the first Alzheimer’s vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration has also fast-tracked trials of Biogen and Esai’s lecanemab, a therapy which could treat early forms of the disease, Reuters&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/biogen-eisai-alzheimers-drug-gets-fast-track-designation-fda-2021-12-24/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">TANGENT</h2>



<p>Famous figures who were diagnosed with dementia include actress&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/trialandheirs/2016/09/07/what-you-can-learn-from-gene-wilders-struggle-with-the-illness-pirate/?sh=330c77d15dd3">Rita Hayworth</a>, actor James Stewart, former President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/reagans/ronald-reagan/reagans-letter-announcing-his-alzheimers-diagnosis" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ronald Reagan</a>&nbsp;and former UK Prime Minister&nbsp;<a href="https://www.latimes.com/health/la-xpm-2013-apr-08-la-heb-thatcher-dementia-cause-death-20130408-story.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Margaret Thatcher</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jan/06/number-adults-with-dementia-exceed-150-million-2050-study" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">“Number of adults with dementia to exceed 150m by 2050, study finds”</a> (Guardian)</p>



<p><strong><em>By Zachary Snowdon Smith, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


Tag: Dementia

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Early-Onset Dementia Risk Tied To Alcoholism, Social Isolation And These Other Factors, Study Finds

Nearly 153 Million Adults Will Have Dementia Worldwide By 2050, Study Predicts