【News Quest = Science Reporter Kim Hyeong-geun】 Recently, scientists presented research that made a significant breakthrough in understanding the risk factors for early-onset dementia, which differs from traditional ideas.
Scientists have suggested genetic reasons as the main cause of the disease called dementia. However, recent findings by a British research team are challenging this belief and paving the way for innovative prevention strategies.
The large study, conducted by a joint research team from the University of Exeter in the UK and Maastricht University in the Netherlands, involved 350,000 people under the age of 65 from the UK Biobank study.
Recently, as “juvenile dementia”, a type of dementia affecting young people, is on the rise, a study has shown that dementia is not just a genetic factor but is largely influenced by lifestyle. Therefore, dementia can be prevented by changing your lifestyle. [사진=Harvard Health]
Every year around the world there are 370,000 patients suffering from “juvenile dementia”.
This biobank contains biomedical data such as genes, lifestyle habits, health information and biological samples from British citizens, and the research team followed it for up to 15 years.
The research team studied risk factors such as genetic predisposition, lifestyle habits and environmental influences on participants between 2006 and 201. Participants in England and Scotland will be assessed for risk until the end of March 2021, while participants in Wales will be assessed for risk. until the end of February 2018. We studied the association between factors and early onset of dementia.
Potential risk factors include sociodemographic factors such as education and socioeconomic level, and genetic factors such as apolipoprotein E (APOE).
Furthermore, 39 factors were included, including lifestyle factors such as physical activity, alcohol consumption, smoking and social isolation, environmental factors such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, health factors such as hypertension and diabetes, blood marker factors such as vitamin D, and psychological factors such as depression and anxiety.
The study examined a wide range of factors, from genetics to lifestyle and environmental influences, and is unique in its scope and depth of insight.
I am at the peak of my working age… Great impact on family and society
Early-onset dementia occurs before the age of 65, and approximately 370,000 new young dementia patients are known to occur each year worldwide. However, relatively little research has been conducted on this type of dementia in young people.
Professor David Llewellyn of Exeter highlighted the importance of these findings, saying: ‘This research represents a major advance in our understanding of dementia.’
He said: “Collaboration and the use of big data have become important. “As we continue to address the complexities of complex dementia, it opens the door to promising avenues for prevention and more targeted treatment strategies.”
Professor Stevie Hendriks of Maastricht University said early-onset dementia has particularly serious implications because it affects people in the first years of life.
Professor Hendrix said: “Dementia in young people has a very serious impact. “Because most of those affected have jobs, have children to support and lead busy lives.”
Dr Leah Mersaline, head of clinical research at Alzheimer’s Research UK (ARUK), the UK charity for people living with dementia.
He said: “The cause of dementia in young people is assumed to be genetic, but for many people we don’t know exactly what the cause is. “That’s why we wanted to look at other risk factors in this study,” she added.
You can reduce your risk of early-onset dementia through health and lifestyle habits.
“We already know from studies of people who develop dementia later in life that there are a number of modifiable risk factors,” the research team said. However, he pointed out that in addition to the physical factors of aging, mental health such as chronic stress, loneliness and depression also play an important role.
“It is striking that these factors clearly play an important role in the development of dementia in young people,” they said. “We were also able to provide the opportunity to reduce risk.”
Similarly, Dr Leah Mursaleen, head of clinical research at Alzheimer’s Research UK (ARUK), a UK charity for dementia patients, said: “This study is groundbreaking in our understanding of dementia risk “.
“I think it is important to build on these findings to further advance knowledge in this area,” Mersaline said.
“We are seeing a shift in our understanding of dementia risk and how we can potentially reduce it on both an individual and societal level,” he said.
He added: “In recent years there has been growing consensus that dementia is linked to 12 specific modifiable risk factors, including smoking, blood pressure and hearing loss. “It is now recognized that up to four in ten cases of dementia worldwide are linked to these factors.”
In summary, this study challenges existing notions about the causal factors of early-onset dementia, while also suggesting possibilities for intervention and prevention.
By broadening our understanding of risk factors, this research paves the way for new strategies for coping with dementia, providing hope to many affected people and their families.
This study was published in the latest issue of JAMA Neurology, the journal of the American Medical Association (AMA).
2023-12-29 09:42:00
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