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15 significant risk factors for young-onset dementia revealed in UK study
In a massive study using data from the UK Biobank and more than 350,000 participants, researchers identified 15 factors that were significantly associated with a higher risk of young-onset dementia.
Most of us with experience of caring for someone with dementia likely associate it with old age, but it can affect people as young as 30 years old. Understanding what symptoms to look for when it starts taking root is important. In the US, about 1 in 25 people over 65 have dementia. The proportion gets bigger as people get older, but thats no reason to disregard young people in conversations about neurodegenerative diseases.
15 significant risk factors for young-onset dementia include loneliness and diabetes
The researchers identified a total of 39 risk factors for different types of dementia, and grouped them into categories like lifestyle, environmental, and psychiatric.
But they whittled that number down to 15 factors that are significantly associated with a higher risk of young-onset dementia, based on their research.
The 15 factors they highlight are:
- Lower formal education.
- Lower socioeconomic status, i.e., being poor.
- Carrying 2 apolipoprotein �4 allele. 1 in 4 of us carry at least one. Some people carry two. Not much you can do about your genes, Im afraid.
- No alcohol use. If youre surprised to read this, join the club.
- Alcohol use disorder.
- Social isolation.
- Vitamin D deficiency. 1 in 4 Americans dont have enough vitamin D. Do you?
- High levels of C-reactive protein. This is usually an indicator of some kind of inflammation in your body.
- Lower handgrip strength. This sounds benign but could signal serious health issues.
- Hearing impairment.
- Orthostatic hypotension (where a persons blood pressure drops when they stand or sit up).
- Stroke.
- Diabetes.
- Heart disease.
- Depression.
Not all the 15 factors are modifiable, but several are. The researchers write in their report that these modifiable factors should be the focus of future dementia prevention initiatives.
How young can people get dementia?
Young-onset dementia and young-onset Alzheimers disease are uncommon forms of dementia that affect people under the age of 65. You might also see it called early-onset dementia/Alzheimers.
In the US, about 110 of every 100,000 adults between the ages of 30 and 64 have young-onset Alzheimers, according to Mayo Clinic.
The youngest person ever to receive a diagnosis of Alzheimers disease was 19. He started experiencing memory decline at age 17. Imaging of his brain showed a shrinking hippocampus, while his cerebrospinal fluid hinted at common markers of Alzheimers disease, Science Alert wrote at the time (2023).
Almost all people under 30 who get dementia have pathological gene mutations. The younger a dementia patient is when they receive their diagnosis, the higher the likelihood they developed the disorder as a result of a faulty gene they inherited, rather than modifiable factors such as diet, lifestyle, and mental health.
