With equal risk factors for cardiovascular disease, men are affected by dementia ten years earlier than women, according to a new study.
- With equal risk factors for cardiovascular disease, men are affected by dementia ten years earlier than women, according to a new study.
- Indeed, the impact of cardiovascular risk and obesity on cerebral neurodegeneration occurs at age 55 in men and at age 65 in women.
- According to the authors, cardiovascular risk factors must be more targeted before the age of 55 in order to prevent neurodegeneration and Alzheimer’s disease.
More than 55 million people currently have dementia worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO)and, every year, there are nearly 10 million new cases. Risk factors include lack of physical activity, being overweight or obese, smoking and even hypertension. But faced with these factors, men and women would not be equal. Indeed, according to a new study published in the journal Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatrywith equal risk factors for cardiovascular disease, men would be affected ten years earlier than women by dementia.
Men, affected earlier by dementia
To achieve this result, scientists studied data from 34,425 participants, on average aged 63, who had all had abdominal and brain scans. Their risk of cardiovascular disease was calculated based on different factors: age, blood lipids (to measure cholesterol), systolic blood pressure, taking medication for hypertension, smoking and diabetes.
At the same time, the researchers also analyzed changes in the structure and volume of their brain and the influence of cardiovascular risks, abdominal fat and visceral adipose tissue (which surrounds the body’s organs) on brain neurodegeneration.
55 years for men, 65 years for women
Results :
– High levels of abdominal fat and visceral adipose tissue were associated with lower brain gray matter volume in both men and women.
– The impact of cardiovascular risk and obesity on cerebral neurodegeneration occurred a decade earlier in men (55 years) than in women (65 years). In other words, with equal risk factors for cardiovascular disease, men are affected by dementia ten years earlier than women.
– The effects were also stronger in men than in women.
“Modifiable cardiovascular risk factors, including obesity, deserve particular attention to treat and prevent neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, indicate the authors, in a press release. This highlights the importance of strongly targeting cardiovascular risk factors before the age of 55 to prevent neurodegeneration and Alzheimer’s disease, in addition to the benefit on other cardiovascular events, such as heart attack. of the myocardium [crise cardiaque] and stroke.”
A public health issue because, by 2050, the number of people with dementia in Europe will almost double, rising to 14,298,671 in the European Union and 18,846,286 in Europe as a whole, according to forecast ofAlzheimer Europe.
