It is estimated that about one million Americans They will develop dementia every year for 2060approximately twice the current figure, researchers reported.
This estimate is based on a new study that found a risk of life greater than previously believed: after 55 years, people have up to 4 percent probabilities of Develop dementia in the futureif they live enough.
It is an alarming figure, but there are measures that can be taken to reduce this risk, such as controlling high blood pressure and other health problems that are harmful to the brain. And it is not too late to try, even in the middle age.
All our investigations suggest that what one does in the median age really matters, ”said Dr. Josef Coreh of Nyu Langone Health, co -author of the study published in Nature Medicine magazine.
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Dementia is not just Alzheimer’s
It is common for age to remember a name or where the keys have been left. But dementia is not a normal part of aging: it is a progressive loss of memory, language and other cognitive functions. The simple fact of aging is the greatest risk and the population is getting old.
The Alzheimer’s It is the most common form and silent brain changes that finally lead to this disease can begin two decades before the symptoms appear. Other types include vascular dementia, when heart disease or small stroke affect blood flow to the brain. Many people have mixed causes, which means that vascular problems could exacerbate the symptoms of the budding Alzheimer’s.
Measuring the risk from a certain age throughout the remaining life of life can guide public health recommendations and medical research.
There is no guarantee that someone develops dementia, ”warned Dr. James Galvin, Alzheimer’s specialist at the University of Miami. Galvin did not participate in the new study, but said the findings coincide with other investigations.
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The risk of dementia varies according to age
Previous studies estimated that approximately 14% of men and 23% of women would develop some type of dementia throughout their lives. The Coresh team analyzed more recent data from an American study that has monitored heart health and the cognitive function of about 15 thousand older adults for several decades.
It is important to highlight that they discovered that the risk changes with the decades.
Only 4% of people developed dementia between 55 and 75, what Coresh calls a 20 -year key window to protect brain health.
For people who survive healthy healthy threats up to 75 years, the risk of dementia increases: 20% at 85 years and 42% between 85 and 95 years.
In general, The risk of dementia Throughout life after 55 it was 35% for men and 48% for women, the researchers concluded. Women usually live more than men, one of the main reasons for that difference, Coresh said. The black Americans had a slightly higher risk, of 44%, than the whites, of 41%.
Yes, there are ways to help reduce the risk of dementia.
There are some risk factors that people cannot control, including age and if it inherited a genetic variant called APOE4 that increases the chances of suffering from Alzheimer’s in late stages of life.
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But people can try to avoid or at least delay health problems that contribute to the appearance of dementia in the future. Coresh, for example, use a helmet when riding a bicycle because serious brain lesions or repeated by accidents or falls increase The risk of dementia in the future.
Especially important: “What is good for the heart is good for the brain,” added Galvin, from Miami, who urges people to exercise, avoid obesity and control blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol.
For example, high blood pressure can affect blood flow to the brain, a risk not only for vascular dementia, but also for some characteristics of Alzheimer’s. Similarly, The high blood sugar level of poorly controlled diabetes is linked to cognitive impairment Already a harmful inflammation in the brain.
It is also important to stay socially and cognitively active, Galvin said. It urges people to prove headphones if age brings with it loss of hearing, which can stimulate social isolation.
There are things that we can control and I think they would be very, very important to develop a better brain as we age, ”he said.
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