In Middle Age, Having Chronic Diseases Increases the Risk of Dementia

With 3 Chronic Diseases, Risk Increases 5 Times... "Preventing and Managing Chronic Diseases Is Important for Dementia Prevention"

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[Asia Economy Senior Reporter Jinsoo Lee] A study has found that maintaining health in your 50s is the best way to prevent dementia.

A joint research team from the University of Paris in France and Imperial College London in the UK warned in the June 2nd issue (local time) of the British Medical Journal (BMJ) that having two or more chronic diseases in middle age doubles the risk of suffering from dementia.

The researchers added that in a research project spanning the past 30 years, having three chronic diseases in middle age increases the risk of dementia by five times.

Here, chronic diseases refer to hypertension, depression, arthritis, and others. Having two or more of these diseases is called complex chronic disease. This is a common phenomenon that occurs with aging.

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The research team tracked 10,095 British participants for over 30 years to examine the correlation between complex chronic diseases and dementia risk. At the start of the study, the participants were aged 35 to 55, and none showed symptoms of dementia at that time.

The researchers tracked which of the following 13 diseases the participants developed and when, as well as whether they showed dementia symptoms.

As a result, those who showed complex chronic diseases before age 55 were 2.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with dementia by age 65 compared to healthy individuals. Those with three or more chronic diseases at age 55 had a fivefold higher risk.

Archana Singh Manu, a research professor at the University of Paris and director of the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), who led this study, pointed out, "Preventing and managing chronic diseases is very important for dementia prevention."

The 13 diseases highlighted by the research team are coronary artery disease, stroke, heart failure, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, chronic kidney failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, liver disease, depression, mental disorders, Parkinson's disease, and arthritis.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.