Many of the risk factors for dementia – being female, growing older and the genetic lottery — cannot be avoided. But research is uncovering a growing list of ways to cut your risk.
Professor Matthew Kiernan , a neurologist and expert in neurodegenerative diseases, is an unlikely hit at dinner parties.
For someone aged 60-64 in Australia the risk of dementia is about 15 in 1000 rising to 429 per 1000 for those over 90 years old.Some experts say Australia needs to focus on prevention and strengthening primary care to effectively deal with the projected rise in dementia. Growing rates of depression alongside dementia diagnoses driven by an aging population are a "perfect storm", Keirnan says.for dementia and treating depression more effectively through medications, therapy, and lifestyle changes could reduce dementia risk," Kiernan believes.Psychiatric medicine is also hard at work finding solutions, he says. Psychiatry is trialling inflammatory treatments such as monoclonal antibodies that suppress the immune system to help treat the dementia.
Nicholas Hunt from the Anzac Institute in Sydney is researching the use of nanomedicine to deliver treatments for metabolic disease., such as cirrhosis. If the liver damage has not progressed too far it is theoretically possible that symptoms of cognitive decline would disappear with treatment.. Because the brain is one of the body's most important users of glucose, conditions that reduce liver function — like diabetes — can quickly impact the brain.
However new diabetes drugs that improve insulin sensitivity can help Alzheimer's patients by treating underlying metabolic issues.Whatever the outcome of research into treatments and risk factors the bottom line for most people is ensuring the next generation has less risk of developing dementia than the ones that came before.
He argues that while diet and exercise are vital in keeping metabolic syndrome in check and preventing the development insulin resistance, sleep is also essential.
Anzac Institute Nicholas Fuller Matthew Kiernan The Lancet The Lancet Regional Health Western Pacific Demenita Alzheimers Risk Factors Depression Liver Hearing Loss
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