Factors That Increase Risk For Dementia

The incidence of dementia among the elderly population is increasing rapidly across the globe. Dementia is an umbrella term encompassing a range of conditions linked to mental decline severe enough to get in the way of a person’s daily life, making it difficult to perform even the simple day to day tasks. Alzheimer’s disease is the leading type of dementia in the United States, followed by vascular dementia, which occurs after a stroke. Dementia is a hidden health issue because of its underestimation among seniors. Many people are of the belief that dementia is a normal part of aging. It isn’t actually. It’s true that dementia is more common in people over age 65, but it isn’t a normal symptom of getting older.

Dementia is a progressive disease that can affect memory, communication, focus, reasoning, and visual perception, and the symptoms worsen over time. While talks are still on about the exact causes of dementia, there are some risk factors one must be aware of to prevent this disease at an early stage. The risk factors are as follows:

Some of the risk factors are modifiable, while others are not, we are talking about age, which is the greatest risk factor for developing dementia as well as genetics. You cannot do anything when it comes to age and genetics. There are a number of modifiable risk factors though that you can do something about in order to decrease the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. Some of the major risk factors are as follows:

Cardiovascular Disease– The cardiovascular system comprises the heart and the blood vessels that supply oxygen-rich blood to the brain. Any issue with the system will have repercussions for your brain, including increasing the risk for developing dementia. Incorporating healthy habits into your daily routine can reduce your likelihood of developing dementia by reducing your odds of getting cardiovascular disease. It is just as important that you talk to your doctor about ways you can keep your brain as healthy as possible for as long as you can.

Diabetes– Type 2 diabetes is connected with obesity and lack of exercise that raises the risk of heart disease and stroke, which damage the blood vessels. Aside from that, diabetes also causes an imbalance in essential chemicals that is required by the brain to function well, thus increasing the likelihood to develop dementia in an individual.

Sleep Disorders– If left untreated, sleep disorders like insomnia, sleep apnea, etc. (these affect the quality of sleep) can wreak havoc on the brain. Discuss with your doctor if you’ve lately been finding it difficult to sleep.

Smoking and Alcohol Consumption– Cigarette smoking is definitely injurious to our health as it negatively affects many parts of our bodies, especially heart and brain, thus increasing the risk for cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular disease (it affects the blood vessels and blood supply to the brain) respectively. Smokers are also at a higher risk to have sleep apnea, another risk factor for dementia.

Talking about alcohol consumption and drugs, they kill brain cells at a faster rate than aging does, thus making it more likely for mid-life binge drinkers to have dementia by age 65 than those who did not binge drink.

Head Injury– Head injury doesn’t mean a higher risk for dementia, but research has found a connection between severe and repeated traumatic brain injuries, which might be due to falls and related hospitalization which is prevalent among seniors over 75 years of age. Injury prevention holds the key to maintaining optimal health in advanced age.

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