French researchers looked at data from no less than 80,000 patients.
A team made up of researchers from the Paris Brain Institute and the University of Bordeaux have accessed the medical data of nearly 80,000 French and British patients. Among them, half were affected by the disease ofAlzheimer.
Using this vast collection of data and a mathematical model, they sought to establish bridges between 123 health factors and the probability of the manifestation of Alzheimer’s.
Ten diseases or signs identified
Thus, by focusing on the medical histories of the participants who had been anonymized beforehand, they established the list of the ten most common pathologies in patients who develop Alzheimer’s disease in the following 15 years.
And mental health is strongly linked to this risk since the depression ranks first, followed by anxiety and exposure to high stress. The other signs? Hearing loss, constipation, spondyloarthritis (chronic rheumatism), memory loss, fatigue, falls and sudden and unexplained weight loss.
No causal link
Thomas Nedelec of the Aramis project at the Paris Brain Institute, explains: “The comparisons made allowed us to confirm known associations, such as hearing problems or depression, and other less known factors or early symptoms, such as cervical spondylosis or constipation. However, we only report statistical associations.”
In other words, no causal link but the researcher insists on the need for further studies: “The question remains whether the health problems encountered are risk factors, symptoms or warning signs of the disease”.
Because Alzheimer advances insidiously, ten before his diagnosis is made. And previous studies have established that a change in lifestyle could prevent or even delay 4 out of 10 cases of this neurodegenerative disease: intellectual stimulation, weight loss, physical activity, hypertension or consumption of alcohol and tobacco are among these criteria.