BMJ 30-year follow-up study: the more chronic diseases appear, the higher the risk of dementia

It is common for people aged 65 and older to have multiple types of chronic diseases at the same time

Dementia is a complex multisystem disease

Screenshot source: The BMJ

A large study published in The BMJ recently found that having two or more chronic diseases in midlife may be associated with an increased risk of dementia later in life

In this prospective cohort study, investigators included 10,095 participants with a baseline age of 35 to 55 years

Common chronic diseases included in the study included 13 types including hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, depression and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

After adjusting for various confounding factors (such as age, sex, race, education, diet, and life>

This association diminishes with age when multiple chronic diseases develop

For example, people with ≥2 chronic diseases before age 55 had a 146% increased risk of dementia at age 65 (HR=2.

Before age 70, the risk of developing dementia increased by 18% for every 5 years earlier in the age of onset

The researchers' analysis of more severe multi-morbidity (that is, having more chronic diseases at the same time) further underscores the association between younger age at onset and risk of developing dementia later in life

Having ≥3 chronic diseases at age 55 was associated with a 396% increased risk of developing dementia later in life (HR = 4.

The researchers point to limitations, such as the possibility that some cases of dementia patients may be misclassified, and that people in the study may be healthier than the general population

The conclusion states that the onset of chronic disease in middle age is strongly associated with subsequent development of dementia

References

[1] Hassen, CB, Fayosse, A.

[2] Midlife chronic conditions linked to increased dementia risk later in life.