40 percent of Alzheimer’s cases are preventable by adopting a healthy lifestyle and avoiding risk factors. These include influences such as access to education and the extent of air pollution, as well as personal factors such as lack of exercise, smoking, obesity and high blood pressure, explained MedUni Vienna on Thursday.
Early diagnosis is also important for proper care. September 21 is World Alzheimer’s Day. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. It is a neurodegenerative disease in which there is a progressive loss of neurons and their connections as a result of specific neuropathological changes in the brain.
Dementia researcher Elizabeth Stogman of MedUni’s Department of Neurology reports that there are a total of “twelve significant risk factors.” But not only physical effects increase the risk of disease. “It has been known for some time that there is an association between social isolation and dementia,” Stogman said.
Meduni reported that increasing public awareness of the development of dementia is making many older people concerned about potential cognitive impairment. However, since various cognitive functions deteriorate with increasing age independently of a pathological phenomenon, it is not always easy to distinguish between a normal cognitive process and a pathological aging process and more detailed investigations need to be conducted. is required.
early diagnosis important
“We now know that the accumulation of plaques in the brain begins ten to 20 years before the appearance of obvious clinical symptoms,” explained Stogman. “Therefore, the diagnosis of early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, such as B. mild cognitive impairment is of particular interest,” said the neurologist. Screening methods that can rule out or confirm pathological cognitive decline with a high degree of certainty are of great importance for this.
As part of a project funded by the European Union, Stogman is researching risk factors for dementia using a variety of approaches. European cooperation to promote the prevention of dementia, with partners including the Digital Health Initiative and Patient Organization. There is currently no accepted causal therapy, even though the results of the new study are eagerly awaited in the coming months. (AEG/SDA/APA)
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Influenza increases the risk of stroke. Vaccination, on the other hand, appears to reduce it, as Spanish researchers have now determined.
Due to corona protective measures, the flu pandemic has largely stayed away over the past two years. Nevertheless, doctors recommend annual vaccination against influenza, especially to at-risk groups. The same happens in this autumn and winter season.
