New global study identifies dementia risk aspects are all preventable – combating them could reduce dementia by 45%

Almost half of all dementia cases might be delayed or prevented by considering 14 possible risk aspects, including vision loss and high cholesterol.

That means crucial results of a brand new study which we and our colleagues published within the journal The Lancet.

dementiaa rapidly growing global challenge, affects an estimated 57 million people worldwide, and this number is anticipated to rise to 153 million by 2050 worldwide. Although the Dementia is on the decline In high-income countries, it stays Increase in low- and middle-income countries.

This third updated report of the Lancet Commission on Dementia comprises excellent news and a robust message: politicians, clinicians, individuals and families can take ambitious motion to forestall and reduce the danger of dementia and improve the standard of lifetime of individuals with dementia and their caregivers through evidence-based approaches.

The latest report confirms 12 potentially modifiable risk aspects already identified in two previous reports. published in 2017 And 2020It also provides latest evidence for 2 other modifiable risk aspects: vision loss and high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterolsometimes called “bad” cholesterol.

Our review of the published evidence found that addressing 14 modifiable risk aspects could reduce the prevalence of dementia by 45% globally. Even greater risk reductions could also be possible in low- and middle-income countries, and for low-income people in higher-income countries, given higher prevalence of dementiahealth inequalities and risk aspects in these populations.

The report also suggests that reducing these 14 risks can increase the variety of healthy years of life and reduce the time spent in sick health in individuals with dementia.

In addition, the report cites clinical studies showing that non-pharmacological approaches, reminiscent of using activities tailored to interests and talents, Reduce dementia-related symptoms and improve quality of life.

We are a General internist and a Applied sociologist and intervention scientistand our work focuses on memory and well-being in older adults. Together with 25 other internationally recognized dementia experts under the leadership of psychiatry professor Gill Livingston, Research Associatewe fastidiously reviewed the evidence to derive recommendations for prevention, intervention and care.

Why it’s important

The rapid growth of the world’s ageing population is a triumph of higher public and private health across the lifespan. But given the shortage of a cure for dementia, that is Report highlights the importance of prevention and to enhance the standard of life of individuals diagnosed with dementia.

In the brand new report, our team proposed an ambitious dementia prevention programme that might be implemented at individual, community and policy levels and across the lifespan from early to middle and late life. The key points are:

• Improving general education at a young age.
• In midlife: Treatment of hearing loss, high LDL cholesterol, depression, traumatic brain injury, physical inactivity, diabetes, smoking, hypertension, obesity, and excessive alcohol consumption.
• In later life, social isolation, air pollution and vision loss decrease.

Taken together, these aspects result in the Lancet Commission on Dementia's estimate that dementia risk will be reduced by 45%. And a wealth of latest research shows that tackling risk aspects reminiscent of exposure to air pollution is linked to: improved cognition and sure reduction in dementia risk.

New evidence supports the concept in high-income countries, reducing the danger of dementia may translate into more healthy years, years freed from dementia, and shorter disease duration in individuals who develop dementia.

What just isn’t yet known

The 45% reduction in the danger of dementia in the worldwide population is predicated on a calculation that assumes that risk aspects are causal and will be eliminated. It shows the importance of dementia prevention and the impact it will have on individuals and families.

The Commission stressed that more research is required to discover additional risk aspects, examine changes in risk aspects in clinical trials, provide guidance for public health efforts, and discover and evaluate strategies for implementing and scaling up evidence-based programs to support individuals with dementia and their caregivers.

The updated report has global public health and research implications and will likely be widely shared, guiding clinicians and policymakers and outlining latest research directions.

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