Ten pathologies are associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
- Only 1 to 2% of Alzheimer’s disease cases can be explained by hereditary factors.
- 900,000 people are affected in France.
- Memory impairment is the most common symptom.
Alzheimer’s disease remains a mystery. While scientific knowledge is accumulating, its exact causes are unknown. Several studies have highlighted risk factors or early symptoms. Researchers from the Paris Brain Institute have worked on this theme. Using a large sample of data, they identified ten pathologies associated with the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The results of their research appeared in The Lancet Digital Health.
Mental health, a recurring risk factor
The team accessed anonymized medical data from nearly 40,000 patients with Alzheimer’s disease and as many control subjects who had not developed neurodegenerative diseases over the period studied. These scientists from the Aramis project, conducted within the Brain Institute, are experts in mathematical modeling, which enabled them to test the possible link between the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and 123 health factors. By taking stock of the participants’ medical histories, they listed the ten most common pathologies in patients who develop Alzheimer’s disease within 15 years. Mental health appears to be largely associated with the risk of Alzheimer’s. Indeed, in the list of the most frequent disorders in this group of patients, depression is in first position, followed by anxiety and exposure to high stress. Next, the authors listed a variety of different physical conditions: hearing loss, constipation, cervical spondyloarthritis, which is chronic rheumatism, memory loss, fatigue, falls, and sudden weight loss.
Associations only statistical, not causal
“The comparisons made allowed us to confirm known associations, such as hearing problems or depression, and other less known factors or early symptoms, such as cervical spondylosis or constipation.comments researcher Thomas Nedelec from the Aramis team. However, we only report statistical associations.“In short, there is no proven causal link between Alzheimer’s disease and these different pathologies, but only a statistical link: they are more frequent in patients at risk of being diagnosed with the disease. Alzheimer’s disease. Further studies will be needed to clarify these links.”The question remains whether the health problems encountered are risk factors, symptoms or warning signs of the disease.adds the researcher.
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