Study indicates poor heart health in mid-life can increase dementia risk
A study published in the European Heart Journal has shown that middle-aged adults with signs of heart damage may be at increased risk of dementia in later life.
The study, conducted by University College London (UCL) researchers, found that elevated levels (which may only be moderately raised and not cause any symptoms) of cardiac troponin I (a protein released when heart muscle is damaged) were linked to a higher likelihood of developing dementia over a 25-year period. Raised troponin levels can indicate ongoing heart damage that affects blood vessels and reduces blood flow to the brain.
Professor Eric Brunner, Senior author on the study from UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, says:
“Poor heart health in middle age puts people at increased risk of dementia in later life. Damage to the brain seen in people with dementia accumulates slowly over the decades before symptoms develop. Control of risk factors common to both heart disease, stroke and dementia in middle age, such as high blood pressure, may slow or even stop development of dementia as well as cardiovascular disease.
We now need to carry out studies to investigate how well troponin levels in the blood can predict future dementia risk. Our early results suggest that troponin could become an important component of a risk score to predict future probability of dementia.”
Read the study here: https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/advance-article/doi/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf834/8307234#google_vignette