Young-Onset Dementia Risk Increased By Vitamin D Deficiency And Depression, Study Says
Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:
Vitamin D deficiency, depression and diabetes are among a number of health issues that increase the risk of young-onset dementia, a major study suggests.
The condition - which around 70,000 people in the UK are thought to be living with - is when symptoms of dementia develop before the age of 65.
The study challenges the notion that genetics are the sole cause of the condition, researchers have said.
Targeting the factors they identified could help reduce the risk, they added.
A list of 15 factors - which is similar to that for late-onset dementia - includes alcohol abuse, stroke, social isolation and hearing impairment.
Those with a higher formal education were seen to be at less of a risk.
The study "breaks new ground" and could "herald a new era" for interventions to reduce new cases, said Dr Janice Ranson, one of the study's authors.
The most common feature of dementia is memory loss, but other symptoms include changes in behaviour, and becoming lost in familiar places.
[...] The study, conducted by scientists from the UK and the Netherlands, is the "largest and most robust study of its kind ever conducted", one of it's authors, Professor David Llewellyn, has said.
[...] Prof Llewellyn said there was still much to learn but the study "reveals that we may be able to take action to reduce risk of this debilitating condition".
"This pioneering study shines important and much-needed light on factors that can influence the risk of young-onset dementia."
[...] "The cause is often assumed to be genetic, but for many people we don't actually know exactly what the cause is. This is why we also wanted to investigate other risk factors in this study."
The full list, from the paper's results: "In the final model, 15 factors were significantly associated with a higher YOD risk, namely lower formal education, lower socioeconomic status, carrying 2 apolipoprotein 4 allele, no alcohol use, alcohol use disorder, social isolation, vitamin D deficiency, high C-reactive protein levels, lower handgrip strength, hearing impairment, orthostatic hypotension, stroke, diabetes, heart disease, and depression."
Journal Reference:
Hendriks S, Ranson JM, Peetoom K, et al. Risk Factors for Young-Onset Dementia in the UK Biobank. JAMA Neurol. Published online December 26, 2023. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2023.4929
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