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(Reuters Health) – A new study suggests that people who have recently had a stroke are twice as likely to develop dementia as people who have not had a stroke.
FILE PHOTO: Patients with Alzheimer's and dementia are sitting at the Alzheimer's Foundation in Mexico City on April 19, 2012. REUTERS / Edgard Garrido
Although stroke has long been associated with an increased risk of dementia, particularly in the elderly, the exact magnitude of increased risk has not been consistent in previous studies of this link. For this study, researchers grouped data from 48 previous studies with a total of 3.2 million participants worldwide.
The analysis revealed that people with a recent stroke were 2.2 times more likely to develop dementia than people who had never had a stroke. And a history of stroke was associated with a 69% chance of developing dementia.
"These findings underscore the importance of protecting the blood supply of the brain to protect against dementia," said lead author of the study, Dr. David Llewellyn of the Faculty of Medicine. Exeter University in the United Kingdom.
"By focusing on the lifestyle factors that are under our control, we can reduce our risk of developing dementia as a result of a stroke," Llewellyn said via e-mail.
"Stop smoking, go on a Mediterranean diet, be physically and mentally active and drink less alcohol," Llewellyn said. "As a result, most people with stroke do not develop dementia. As a result, lifestyle improvements after a stroke are also likely to be beneficial. "
Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly. Progressive brain disorder slowly erodes memory and thinking skills and makes people unable to handle the basic tasks of daily living.
Previous research has linked vascular risk factors, including obesity, diabetes, smoking, high blood cholesterol and increased blood pressure, and the increased likelihood of dementia, cognitive decline and disease. Alzheimer.
But it is not clear whether these factors contribute indirectly by limiting blood flow in the brain, or whether they directly cause an accumulation of amyloid protein fragments linked to Alzheimer's disease.
Some stroke characteristics, such as the location and extent of brain damage, can also influence the risk of dementia, the study's authors conclude. Men may also have a higher risk of dementia after stroke than women.
One of the limitations of the analysis is that the design, duration, and manner in which they assessed stroke and dementia varied among smaller studies, according to researchers in Alzheimer's & Dementia.
However, the findings add to a great deal of evidence linking stroke to dementia, said Dr. Andrew Budson, a researcher at the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System and at the Faculty of Medicine at the University. from Boston.
"While this is not surprising, this important review focuses on how people can reduce their risk of developing dementia," said Budson, author of "Seven Steps to Managing Your Memory: What's Normal?" ,
"The message to remember," he said in an email, "is that you are less likely to develop dementia if you reduce your risk of onset by quitting if you control hypertension and cholesterol as prescribed, lose weight. if you are obese or overweight, eat a Mediterranean style diet and exercise aerobics.
SOURCE: bit.ly/2NsZTOs Alzheimer & Dementia, online August 31, 2018.
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