Why We Need a Reliable Dementia Risk Score
Dementia is a growing global issue with up to 50 million people affected, a number expected to triple by 2050. Knowing your risk factors can help in taking preventive steps, which might avoid nearly 40% of cases, according to experts.
The challenge? Current methods to determine dementia risks are either too expensive or not reliable enough across various age groups and locations.
But a new score developed by researchers in the UK promises to change this.
Introducing the UK Biobank Dementia Risk Score
A long-term study published in BMJ Mental Health introduces the UK Biobank Dementia Risk Score (UKBDRS), which has outperformed other commonly-used risk scores from Australia, Finland, and the UK.
Researchers used data from two large studies that involved people between the ages of 50 and 73. The first study included 220,762 people from the UK Biobank, while the second used 2,934 people from the Whitehall II study.
By employing advanced statistical methods, the team boiled down 28 potential risk factors to 11 most predictive ones.
These factors include age, education level, history of diabetes, depression, stroke, family history of dementia, economic disadvantage, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, living alone, and being male.
The score was further enhanced by including the APOE gene, known for its role in dementia.
How Accurate is the New Score?
After 14 years, almost 2% of the UK Biobank group and just over 3% from the Whitehall II group developed dementia.
The UKBDRS, especially when enhanced with the APOE gene, was more accurate than all other risk scores and even age alone in predicting dementia.
While additional factors like cognitive tests and brain scans could further improve the score, their high costs and time commitments make them less practical for initial screening.
Limitations and Future Steps
While promising, the score has its limitations. The study mainly included white participants from the UK who were not living in deprived areas.
As dementia risk can vary by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, further studies are needed to validate the UKBDRS in diverse groups.
Dr. Raihaan Patel, the lead author, suggests that the UKBDRS can be a helpful first step in screening people into risk groups.
Those identified as high risk could then undergo more intensive follow-up assessments.
Co-author Professor Sana Suri emphasized that these scores are not a guaranteed outcome but a prediction. However, knowing these risks allows us to take preventive steps.
In conclusion, the UKBDRS shows great promise as an initial screening tool for dementia, but more work needs to be done to ensure its applicability to diverse populations.
Given the rapidly increasing number of dementia cases globally, having a reliable risk score is more important than ever.
If you care about brain health, please read studies about vitamin D deficiency linked to Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia, and blood pressure problem at night may increase Alzheimer’s risk.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about Vitamin B9 deficiency linked to higher dementia risk, and results showing flavonoid-rich foods could improve survival in Parkinson’s disease.
The study was published in BMJ Mental Health.
Follow us on Twitter for more articles about this topic.
Copyright © 2023 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
