Up to 40 percent of Alzheimer’s cases might be prevented by adopting a healthier lifestyle and avoiding risk factors. These include population-wide influences such as access to education and the extent of air pollution, as well as individual factors such as lack of exercise, smoking, obesity and high blood pressure, explained the MedUni Vienna. Early diagnosis is also important for appropriate care. September 21 is World Alzheimer’s Day.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. It is a neurodegenerative disease in which specific neuropathological changes in the brain result in progressive loss of neurons and their connections. There are a total of “twelve important risk factors,” reported dementia researcher Elisabeth Stögmann from MedUni’s Department of Neurology. But not only physical influences increase the risk of illness. “It has been known for some time that there is a connection between social isolation and dementia,” said Stögmann.
The increased public awareness of the development of dementia is making many older people concerned regarding a possible cognitive impairment, the MedUni informed. However, since various cognitive functions deteriorate with increasing age independently of a pathological event, it is not always easy to differentiate between a normal cognitive process and a pathological aging process and requires more detailed investigations.
Early detection important
“We now know that the accumulation of plaques in the brain begins ten to 20 years before the appearance of obvious clinical symptoms,” explained Stögmann. “Therefore, the diagnosis of early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, such as mild cognitive impairment, is of particular interest,” said the neurologist. “For this purpose, screening methods that can rule out or confirm pathological cognitive decline with a high degree of certainty are of great importance.
As part of a project funded by the EU, Stögman is researching risk factors for dementia using various approaches. Here, together with European collaboration partners, digital health initiatives and patient organizations are involved in order to promote dementia prevention (https://www.lethe-project.eu/). “There is still a lot of progress to be made before we can stop or even cure Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia,” emphasized Stögmann. There is currently no approved causal therapy, even if new study results are expected with great excitement in the coming months.(apa)
