Diabetes, BP & smoking tied to dementia: Study
The study, based on the US-based Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, followed 12,409 adults for a median 26.3 years. Researchers assessed three midlife vascular risk factors: diabetes, hypertension and current smoking.
A new US study found that people with no high blood pressure, diabetes, or smoking habit lived nearly 13 years longer dementia-free than those with all three risk factors. Those without any of the three vascular risk factors lived an average 30 years without dementia by age 55, compared to 17.5 years for individuals with all three. The study, based on the US Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, tracked 12,409 adults for a median 26.3 years, assessing vascular risk factors at midlife.
As the number of risk factors increased, dementia-free survival declined. Participants with one risk factor had an average 26.3 years dementia-free, while those with two had 21 years. Those with all three risk factors experienced 17.5 years without dementia, compared to 30.1 years among those with none. The risk of developing dementia also rose with vascular risk burden; individuals with all three risk factors had a 2.69-fold higher hazard of developing dementia, and their hazard of dying without dementia was 5.61 times greater.
The study's findings align with recent World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines suggesting that up to 45% of dementia risk could be prevented or delayed by addressing modifiable risk factors, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, and physical inactivity. Additionally, WHO recommends reducing exposure to air pollution to minimize dementia risk.
Dr. Manjari Tripathi, head of the neurology department at AIIMS, emphasized the importance of controlling blood pressure and blood sugar, avoiding smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, staying physically active, and managing cholesterol from midlife to reduce dementia risk.
The researchers concluded that overall vascular health in midlife, rather than an isolated risk factor, is a crucial determinant of dementia-free survival. Preventing vascular risk factors by midlife could help extend the number of years people live without dementia. However, the study's limitations include assessing vascular risk factors at a single point in midlife, which may have underestimated the impact of sustained or worsening vascular risk over time.
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