Written By: Prerna Mittra | Updated : December 29, 2023 9:01 AM IST
They include loss of interest in former pastimes like reading or listening to music, abrupt mood swings from cheerful to angry, and inappropriate emotions.
A new study has found that certain specific factors like drinking alcohol, being socially isolated, and lacking vitamin D are among factors that can increase the risk of early-onset dementia. For the UK Biobank study -- published in JAMA Neurology with the American Medical Association -- researchers looked at data of more than 3,56,052 participants and listed 39 risk factors -- genetic, lifestyle, environmental, demographic -- that could possibly cause early-onset dementia.
While moderate alcohol use, higher formal education, and lower physical frailty were found to be associated with lower risk of incidence of young-onset dementia (YOD), increased risk was associated with low socioeconomic status, apolipoprotein E status, alcohol use disorder, social isolation, vitamin D deficiency, high C-reactive protein levels, hearing impairment, orthostatic hypotension, stroke, diabetes, heart disease, and depression, the researchers stated.
Sebastian K hler, a professor of neuroepidemiology and one of the study's lead authors was quoted as saying by The Guardian: "We already knew from research on people who develop dementia at an older age that there are a series of modifiable risk factors. In addition to physical factors, mental health also plays an important role, including avoiding chronic stress, loneliness and depression. The fact that this is also evident in young-onset dementia came as a surprise to me, and it may offer opportunities to reduce risk in this group, too."
The study concluded by stating that since these are "modifiable risk factors", they should be "incorporated in future dementia prevention initiatives and raise new therapeutic possibilities for YOD."
According to the CDC, dementia is a general term for "the impaired ability to remember, think, or make decisions that interferes with doing everyday activities". Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia. Though it mostly affects older adults, dementia is not a part of normal aging.
The CDC further states that its symptoms can vary from person to person. People with dementia have problems with: memory, attention, communication, reasoning, judgment, and problem solving, visual perception beyond typical age-related changes in vision.
Signs that may point to it include:
