Medical Titbit: Dementia risk predictors!
To the general population, dementia simply means memory loss. However, the term dementia includes several symptoms affecting a person’s memory, thinking ability, social interactions, etc, leading to impairment in their daily lives! Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly!
Prevention is better than a cure, we all know that. That’s the best strategy for many disease conditions. Early detection of an emerging condition and appropriate, timely measures is the second-best strategy for the condition as well. If a condition can not be prevented by any available means, predicting that condition and taking measures to slow it down is the best thing. This strategy applies to dementia. A study showed that the risk of developing dementia can be predicted up to 2 decades before the appearance of the symptoms. The researchers have listed eleven key dementia predictors! Lifestyles, physical health, and cognitive abilities include those predictors.
- Poor physical health
- History of a stroke
- Presence of the genes that are found in association with a risk of developing cognitive impairment and dementia
- No private health insurance plan at age 60
- Having no regular work or working only for a few years
- Suffering from DM or having a BMI of 35 or more at age 60
- No drinking or excessive drinking of alcohol
- No habit of exercising
- Poor performance in various physical tests (such as grip strength, walking speed, and balance etc.)
- Not being a conscientious person
- Lack of interest in hobbies and activities that involve learning new things
If you want to learn more about the study, Click here
Thanking you
Dr Hafiz