PARIS, Oct. 7 (Benin News) –
People with psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia, are 2.5 times more likely to develop dementia than people without it. That’s according to a review of the evidence by researchers at University College London (UCL) in the UK, published in the journal Psychological Medicine.
The new systematic review and meta-analysis found that psychotic disorders may have a stronger association with dementia than other mental disorders such as depression or anxiety.
Lead author Dr Jean Stafford, from the MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Aging at UCL, explains that they found that “being diagnosed with a disorder psychosis is associated with a much higher risk of developing dementia later in life.
“Our findings add to the evidence that protecting people’s mental health across the lifespan might help prevent dementia,” he says.
The study is the first high-quality systematic review to examine a range of psychotic disorders and their association with dementia risk. Schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders are serious illnesses that manifest with symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, and social withdrawal. Many people also suffer from impaired cognitive and functional abilities.
The researchers pooled data from 11 studies conducted in nine countries on four continents and involving nearly 13 million people.
They found that, for the different psychotic disorders and regardless of the age at which the mental illness first appeared, there is an increased risk of dementia later in life.
Some studies have involved people who were diagnosed with psychotic disorders as young adults, with follow-up periods of several decades. They also found that people who had suffered from psychotic disorders tended to be younger than average when diagnosed with dementia, and two studies showed that people with psychotic disorders were much more likely to be diagnosed with dementia. when they were still in their sixties.
These findings add to the list of modifiable risk factors for dementia. The UCL researchers had already found that four in ten cases of dementia might be prevented or delayed if the risk factors were treated throughout life.
Vasiliki Orgeta, PhD, UCL Psychiatry, co-author of the current study, had previously found that PTSD increases the likelihood of dementia, and that depression and anxiety also increase risk, but these latest findings suggest that the disorders psychotics are more strongly associated with the risk of dementia.
Researchers might not confirm the cause of this association, whether it is due to the mental illness itself, or perhaps because psychotic disorders increase the likelihood of conditions that, in turn, increase the risk of dementia.
Part of the association may be explained by the fact that psychotic symptoms might be early markers of dementia in some people, but the fact that some of the studies had very long follow-up periods and included people who experienced psychosis at a young age suggests that this is not the only explanation.
Dr. Orgeta points out that “people with psychotic disorders are more likely to have other health problems, such as cardiovascular disease or obesity, which can increase the risk of dementia, while they are also more likely eating a poor diet, smoking or using drugs, which can impair their health in ways that might increase their likelihood of developing dementia”.
The lead author, Sara El Miniawi, a psychiatrist at UCL, who conducted this research as part of her master’s thesis, explains that “cognitive disorders and hallucinations can be symptoms of both dementia and psychotic disorders, so it is possible that there is a link between the two pathologies. This impairment can also limit people’s cognitive reserve and increase their vulnerability to symptoms of dementia,” he adds.
The researchers might not determine whether effective treatment for psychotic disorders might mitigate the risk of dementia, or whether antipsychotic medications might be a factor, as the evidence was limited and conflicting.
Sara El Miniawi notes that, “Because people with psychotic disorders face an increased risk of many other conditions, it is very important to monitor their overall physical and mental health, and we found here that health care professionals who work with them should also be vigilant for any signs of cognitive decline. »