Dementia: 10-year risk estimates may inform prevention A large study provides 10year absolute estimates for dementia risk. The scientists hope that by identifying people at high risk, specialists might be able to put in place early strategies for prevention. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), every 3 seconds a new case of dementia is diagnosed. It is characterized by cognitive impairment, such as having trouble recalling memories, solving problems, and reasoning logically. Some of the main dementia risk factors include
aging, stroke, and high blood pressure. Recent studies have also found that biological sex and a particular variation in the APOE gene — the e4 allele — both affect a person's overall risk. The APOE gene encodes apolipoprotein E, a protein that plays a vital role in regulating cholesterollevels, and which may also be key in reducing the levels of the protein beta-amyloid, which can form toxic plaques in the brain.
A team at the Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark believes that if we can identify people at the highest risk for dementia early on and understand what places them at such a high risk, we may also be able to implement appropriate preventive measures. The researchers conducted a large population study in order to calculate the 10-year absolute risk estimates for dementia based on age, sex, and the existence of the e4 allele of the APOE gene.
Study co-author Prof. Ruth Frikke-Schmidt and colleagues published their results in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. The three factors that determine high risk The researchers analyzed the medical data of 104,537 people from Copenhagen in Denmark. They obtained this information through the Copenhagen General Population Study (conducted in 2003– 2014) and the Copenhagen City Heart Study (1991–1994 and 2001–2003)….Read More
Evidence Doesn't Support Statin Use in Healthy Seniors There is no evidence to support the widespread use of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs to prevent heart disease and stroke in old and very old people, Spanish researchers say. For the new study, the investigators analyzed data from nearly 47,000 people aged 75 and older with no history of heart disease. Statins were not associated with a reduced risk of heart disease or death from any cause in healthy people over age 75, the study found. But among people aged 75 to 84 with type 2 diabetes, statins were linked to a 24 percent
lower risk of heart disease and a 16 percent lower risk of death from any cause. This protective effect declined after age 85 and was gone by age 90, the findings showed. The study, led by Rafel Ramos, a researcher at the University of Girona in Spain, was published online Sept. 5 in the BMJ. The results do not support the widespread use of statins in healthy old and very old people, the study authors said. But the findings do support statin treatment in those under 85 years of age with type 2
diabetes, they concluded. Aidan Ryan, an academic clinical fellow at University Hospital Southampton in the United Kingdom, and colleagues wrote an editorial that accompanied the study. The editorialists noted that these observational findings need to be confirmed in randomized trials. Until then, "patient preference remains the guiding principle while we wait for better evidence," Ryan and colleagues concluded. Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide,
especially among people 75 and older. Statin prescriptions to elderly patients have increased in recent decades, and clinical trial evidence supports their use in people 75 and older with existing heart disease, the study authors pointed out in a journal news release. But there is a lack of evidence on the benefits of statins for older people without heart disease, especially those aged 85 and older, as well as those with diabetes, the researchers said. More information The U.S. National Institute on Aging has more about heart health and aging.
Walking may prevent heart failure in senior women New research examines the effect of walking on two subtypes of heart failure in aging women. The findings were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Heart Failure. According to recent estimates, almost 5 millionpeople in the United States have congestive heart failure. Over half a million cases are diagnosed each year. Despite its name, "heart failure" does not mean that the
heart has stopped working completely, explain the American Heart Association (AHA). In congestive heart failure, the heart is not pumping blood as well as it should be. Heart failure occurs in two main ways: either the muscles of the heart weaken, or they become stiff and lose their elasticity. Although the condition affects people of all ages, it is more
prevalent among seniors over the age of 60. The AHA recommend that people at risk avoid smoking, exercise more, and eat heart-healthy foods. A new study delves deeper into one of these potential strategies for prevention. Researchers from the University of Buffalo in New York set out to investigate how walking affects two heart failure subtypes: reduced ejection fraction heart failure, and
preserved ejection fraction heart failure. Michael LaMonte, a research associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions, led the study. Studying walking and heart failure in women Reduced ejection fraction heart failure occurs when the heart's left side pumps less blood into the body than normal. ..Read More
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