Researchers from University College London and Inserm have together studied the link between chronic health problems encountered by many 50-year-olds (cholesterol, diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, etc.) and their future risk of suffering from a cognitive disorder.
Their conclusions, which have just been published in the British medical journal, indicate that the risk of dementia is increased by 2.5 times when one suffers from at least two chronic diseases in the middle of the fifties. was higher when these types of conditions developed at a younger age (mid-50s) rather than later in life. And the earlier these chronic diseases appear, the more the risk of dementia increases: “it increases by 18% for every 5 years less” underline the researchers.
3 chronic diseases = 5 times more risk
For those who suffer from at least 3 or more chronic diseases at age 55, the risk of dementia is multiplied by 5. On the other hand, this risk decreases considerably if these multiple chronic health problems appear after age 70. These findings are based on data collected from more than 10,000 Britons participating in the Whitehall II Long-Term Health Study.
“These results highlight the role of chronic disease prevention and management in adulthood in mitigating adverse effects in the elderly,” said Professor Archana Singh-Manoux, lead author of the study.
Source:
Association between age at onset of multimorbidity and incidence of dementia: 30 year follow-up in Whitehall II prospective cohort studyBritish medical journal, February 2022
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