Brain scans of Alzheimer’s patients and the general public. Provided by EPA Yonhap News
There are many different causes of dementia that cause cognitive decline. According to the medical community, in addition to general diseases that damage brain function, other diseases and lifestyles can affect the onset of dementia. Because the mechanism of development cannot be defined as one, research on the various causes of dementia continues in the academic world. At the ‘American Alzheimer’s Disease Association International Conference (AAIC 2022)’ held in San Diego, USA from the 31st of last month to the 4th of this month, new factors that have recently been attracting attention as the cause of dementia were presented.
Gestational hypertension, which is experienced by 5-10% of pregnant women, promotes ‘brain aging’
Gestational hypertension is a disease in which systolic blood pressure is measured above 140/90 mmHg following 20 weeks of pregnancy. According to the National Health Information Portal, it is estimated that 5-10% of all pregnant women suffer from gestational hypertension. When blood pressure exceeds the standard value and accompanied by proteinuria and edema, it is called preeclampsia (pregnancy addiction). 15-25% of gestational hypertension patients progress to preeclampsia.
At this international conference, many research results were introduced that gestational hypertension and preeclampsia affect brain aging. A research team led by Professor Karen Schlief of the University of Utah Hospital in the U.S. followed 59,668 pregnant women for 80 years and found that women who experienced gestational hypertension had a 1.64 times higher risk of vascular dementia than women who did not. appear.
Vascular dementia is the second most common type of dementia following Alzheimer’s (senile) dementia, and occurs when the blood flow to the brain decreases as the brain is damaged. According to the research team of Rowena Husinali, a doctoral researcher at Erasmus University in the Netherlands, women with gestational hypertension had a 48% higher level of wear and tear on their brain tissue 15 years following giving birth than normal women.
Another study found that gestational hypertension is also associated with Alzheimer’s dementia. According to a research team led by Professor Sonya Suvakov of the Mayo Clinic in the United States, women with a history of severe gestational hypertension had more active production of amyloid-beta protein, which is closely related to the development of Alzheimer’s disease. “Women with a history of gestational hypertension were found to have increased levels of various levels that might negatively affect her cognitive abilities,” Suvakov explains.
Corona 19 loss of smell, long-term hospitalization in intensive care unit (ICU), correlated with dementia
Studies on novel factors related to dementia are also introduced, which are noteworthy in relation to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).
Gabriela González-Aleman, a professor at the Catholic University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, published a study that showed that persistent loss of smell following infection with COVID-19 can be a strong predictor of cognitive decline.
The research team explained that they found this fact following one year of follow-up of 766 adults aged 55 to 95 who experienced loss of smell due to COVID-19. About 70% of the participants had some type of cognitive impairment, and half of them had severe cognitive impairment.
Professor Gonzalez-Aleman said, “This suggests that older people aged 60 and over who have had olfactory impairment following COVID-19 are more susceptible to cognitive impairment.” According to the British Medical Journal (BMJ), an international academic journal, 4-5% of all COVID-19 cases experience a long-term loss of smell or taste.
Brian James, a professor at the University of Chicago’s Rush Alzheimer’s Center in the US, introduced a study that showed that the experience of being hospitalized in an intensive care unit (ICU) increases the risk of developing dementia. As a result of follow-up of an average of 7.8 years among 3,882 participants with an average age of 77.3 years, the research team found that participants who had been admitted to the ICU had a 63% higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease compared to those who did not. Professor James said, “Considering the high rate of ICU admissions among the elderly during the COVID-19 crisis, the results of these studies are considered important.”
● ‘Economic status’ also affects the onset of dementia
Studies that show that social factors increase the risk of dementia have also received attention. Matthias Kle, a professor at the University of Luxembourg in Luxembourg, and his research team investigated the data of 196,368 people registered in the UK Biobank, a UK genetic information collection plan, and announced that economic poverty was found to increase the risk of dementia.
The researchers found that people classified as having lower incomes and wealth were more likely to develop dementia as they got older. Professor Klee explained, “The living environment such as the working environment can be one of the factors that explain the risk of dementia.”
A team of postdoctoral fellows at Columbia University, Katrina Kezios, followed middle-aged American workers for 12 years, and found that low-paid workers experienced faster memory decline in old age than regular-paid workers.
A study was also introduced that showed that parents’ economic ability affects their children’s dementia risk. Jennifer Manley, a professor at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in the US, said that the effect of tau protein (p-tau181), the cause of Alzheimer’s disease, on memory and language ability was small in children of parents with high economic status, such as those who received education for a long time. published the research results. “Policies to reduce child poverty might be a way to close the gap in the risk of Alzheimer’s,” said Professor Manley.