Scientists from the University of Paris found having two or more chronic conditions (known as multimorbidity) in middle age is linked to an increased risk of dementia later in life.
The results show that the risk is greater when these sorts of conditions develop at a younger age (mid-50s) rather than later in life.
The research is published in The BMJ and was conducted by Céline Ben Hassen et al.
Common chronic conditions include high blood pressure, diabetes, coronary heart disease, depression, and chronic lung disease (COPD).
Evidence shows that multimorbidity is common, particularly at older ages and in people living with dementia.
In the study, the team examined the long-term association between multimorbidity at ages 55, 60, 65, and 70 and subsequent dementia.
Their findings are based on data collected from over 10,000 British men and women taking part in the Whitehall II Study, which is looking at the association of social, behavioral, and biological factors on long-term health.
When participants joined the study in 1985-88, they were aged 35 to 55 and were free of dementia.
The team found in the 10,095 participants, 6.6% had multimorbidity at age 55 and 32% at age 70. Over a median follow-up period of 32 years, 639 cases of dementia were identified.
Multimorbidity at age 55 was linked to a 2.4-fold higher risk of dementia (1.56 per 1,000 person years) compared with people without any of the 13 chronic conditions.
This association weakened progressively with older age at the onset of multimorbidity.
In other words, for every 5-year younger age at onset of multimorbidity up to age 70, the risk of dementia was 18% higher.
When the researchers examined more severe multimorbidity (defined as three or more chronic conditions), the importance of the younger age of onset of multimorbidity for the risk of dementia was further accentuated.
The team says given the lack of effective treatment for dementia and its personal and societal implications, finding targets for the prevention of dementia is imperative.
These findings highlight the role of prevention and management of chronic diseases over the course of adulthood to mitigate adverse outcomes in old age.
If you care about dementia, please read studies about eye problems linked to a higher risk of dementia, and this high blood pressure drug may treat vascular dementia.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies that standing at a church pulpit, a blood vessel burst in her brain, and results showing Mediterranean diet may protect against memory loss and dementia.
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