2023-12-29 09:42:00
【News Quest = Science Reporter Kim Hyeong-geun】 Recently, scientists presented research that made a significant leap forward in understanding the risk factors for early onset dementia, which differs from traditional ideas.
Scientists have suggested genetic reasons as the main cause of the disease called dementia. However, recent findings led by a British research team are challenging this belief and paving the way for innovative prevention strategies.
The extensive study, conducted by a joint research team from the University of Exeter in the UK and Maastricht University in the Netherlands, involved 350,000 people under the age of 65 from the UK Biobank study.
Recently, while ‘youthful dementia’, a type of dementia that occurs in young people, is on the rise, a study has shown that dementia is not all genetic factors but is largely influenced by lifestyle. Therefore, dementia can be prevented if you change your lifestyle. [사진=Harvard Health]
Worldwide, 370,000 ‘young dementia’ patients occur every year.
This biobank contains biomedical data such as genes, lifestyle habits, health information, and biological samples of British people, and the research team followed up for up to 15 years.
The research team investigated risk factors such as genetic predisposition, lifestyle habits, and environmental influences on participants between 2006 and 201. Participants in England and Scotland will be assessed for risk until the end of March 2021, and participants in Wales will be assessed for risk until the end of February 2018. We investigated the association between factors and early onset of dementia.
Potential risk factors include sociodemographic factors such as education and socioeconomic level, and genetic factors such as apolipoprotein E (APOE).
In addition, 39 factors were included, including lifestyle factors such as physical activity, drinking, smoking, and social isolation, environmental factors such as nitrogen oxides and fine dust, health factors such as high blood pressure and diabetes, blood marker factors such as vitamin D, and psychological factors such as depression and anxiety. .
The study examined a wide range of factors, from genetics to lifestyle and environmental influences, and is unique in its scale and depth of insight.
I’m at the peak of my working age… Great impact on family and society
Early onset dementia occurs before the age of 65, and it is known that approximately 370,000 new young dementia patients occur every year worldwide. However, relatively little research has been done on this type of dementia in young people.
Exeter’s Professor David Llewellyn highlighted the importance of these findings, saying: “This research represents a major advance in our understanding of dementia.”
He said, “Collaboration and use of big data have become important. “As we continue to address the complexities of complex dementia, it paves the way for promising avenues for prevention and more targeted treatment strategies.”
Professor Stevie Hendriks of Maastricht University said early-onset dementia has particularly serious implications because it affects people in the prime years of life.
Professor Hendrix said, “Dementia in young people has a very serious impact. “Because most of the people affected have jobs, have children to support, and lead busy lives.”
Dr Leah Mersaline, head of clinical research at Alzheimer’s Research UK (ARUK), the UK’s charity for people living with dementia.
He said, “It is assumed that the cause of dementia in young people is genetic, but for many people, we do not know exactly what the cause is. “That is why we wanted to look at other risk factors in this study as well.”
You can reduce the risk of early onset dementia through health and lifestyle habits.
“We already know from studies of people who develop dementia later in life that there are a series of modifiable risk factors,” the research team said. However, he emphasized that in addition to the physical factors of aging, mental health such as chronic stress, loneliness, and depression also plays an important role.
“It was surprising that these factors clearly play a large role in the development of dementia in young people,” they said. “We were also able to provide an opportunity to reduce risk.”
Likewise, Dr Leah Mursaleen, head of clinical research at Alzheimer’s Research UK (ARUK), a UK charity for dementia patients, said: “This study is groundbreaking in our understanding of dementia risk.” did.
“I think it’s important to build on these findings to further advance knowledge in this area,” Mersaline said.
“We are seeing a shift in our understanding of dementia risk and how we can potentially reduce it at both an individual and societal level,” she said.
She added: “In recent years there has been a growing consensus that dementia is linked to 12 specific modifiable risk factors, including smoking, blood pressure and hearing loss. “It is now recognized that up to four in 10 cases of dementia worldwide are linked to these factors.”
In summary, this study challenges existing notions about the causal factors of early-onset dementia, while also suggesting possibilities for intervention and prevention.
By expanding our understanding of risk factors, this research paves the way for new strategies to cope with dementia, providing hope for many affected individuals and their families.
This study was published in the latest issue of JAMA Neurology, the journal of the American Medical Association (AMA).
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