Uncovering Dementia Prevention: Discovering Three Adjustable Risk Factors
New Modifiable Risk Factors for Dementia Identified
In a groundbreaking move, the Lancet Commission has identified three new modifiable risk factors for dementia in 2024: untreated vision loss, hearing loss, and social isolation. These factors join previously established ones such as high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, depression, and traumatic brain injury in contributing to dementia cases globally.
Managing the New Risk Factors
- Vision Loss: Timely diagnosis and treatment of vision problems like cataracts, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and correcting refractive errors can help reduce dementia risk. This is because it prevents sensory deprivation and improves cognitive engagement.
- Hearing Loss: Early identification and management through hearing aids or other interventions help maintain social interaction and reduce cognitive load, thereby lowering dementia risk. Addressing hearing loss in midlife is particularly important to delay cognitive decline.
- Social Isolation: Encouraging social engagement through community activities, support groups, or maintaining strong relationships helps reduce loneliness and cognitive decline associated with dementia. Social connection is a key lifestyle factor for brain health.
In addition to managing these new factors, it's crucial to address other medical conditions like hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, and to adopt lifestyle habits such as smoking cessation, regular physical activity, a balanced diet, and mental health care. These recommendations are aimed at lowering dementia risk overall.
A Combined Approach
Effective management of these risk factors involves a combination of medical treatment of sensory impairments, lifestyle modifications, and enhancing social connections to reduce modifiable risks and improve cognitive health across the lifespan.
Alcohol Consumption and Dementia
Research has shown that drinking more than 21 units of alcohol per week increases the risk of dementia. Conversely, drinking less than 21 units might be associated with a lower risk. It's important to note that alcohol abuse can lead to changes in the brain, impacting learning and memory performance and potentially leading to dementia.
Modifying Head Injury Risk
Preventing brain injuries can help lower the potentially modifiable risk for dementia by minimizing damage to the nervous system. This can be achieved by wearing protective gear during sports, taking necessary precautions to avoid falls, wearing a helmet during motorcycle riding, and implementing prevention and early intervention efforts to reduce domestic violence and child abuse behavior.
Air Pollution and Dementia
Exposure to air pollutants such as high nitrogen dioxide concentration, fine ambient particulate matter, and second-hand smoke increases the risk of dementia. Governments are urged to speed up improvements in air quality, particularly in areas with high air pollution.
With around 50 million people worldwide living with dementia, managing these modifiable risk factors could potentially prevent or delay up to 20 million dementia cases, as they account for around 40% of worldwide dementias.
- Science, in collaboration with the Lancet Commission, has identified three new modifiable risk factors for dementia: untreated vision loss, hearing loss, and social isolation.
- These new factors, along with established ones like high blood pressure, diabetes, and physical inactivity, contribute significantly to dementia cases worldwide.
- To manage vision loss, timely diagnosis and treatment of vision problems, as well as correcting refractive errors, can help reduce dementia risk.
- Hearing loss management involves early identification and intervention, such as the use of hearing aids, to maintain social interaction, lower cognitive load, and reduce dementia risk.
- Addressing social isolation can be accomplished through community activities, support groups, and maintaining strong relationships, as social connection is a key lifestyle factor for brain health.
- Apart from managing these new factors, it's essential to address other chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes, and adopt healthy lifestyle habits such as smoking cessation, regular fitness and exercise, a balanced diet, mental health care, and implementing technology for data and cloud computing to improve overall cognitive health.
