High Cholesterol, Vision Loss Identified as Dementia Risk Factors

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Facts

• The 2024 update of the medical journal Lancet's standing commission on dementia has found 'compelling evidence' for adding vision loss and high LDL cholesterol to a list of identified risk factors that increase the odds of developing the disease.^[1]
• The 2020 edition of the review initially found 12 factors linked with the disease: alcohol abuse, hearing loss, smoking, obesity, polluted air, social isolation, high blood pressure, traumatic brain injuries, diabetes, depression, and a lack of physical activity and education.^[2]
• Lead author Dr. Gill Livingston says that the evidence suggests that dealing with the 14 risk factors could delay or prevent 45% of all dementia cases. Having high cholesterol at the age of 40 was connected with 7% of all dementia cases, while untreated vision loss was linked to 2%.^[3]
• Dementia is a condition caused by ailments such as Alzheimer's and occurs when nerve cells are damaged in the brain. Symptoms include memory loss and confusion, and the disease is primarily attributable to genetic causes.^[4]
• The authors of the report encourage governments to 'prioritize resources to enable risk reduction' regarding the 14 lifestyle factors and focus on encouraging early preventive interventions. They also support expanding screening and treatments for vision loss and high cholesterol.^[5]
• The number of people worldwide affected by dementia is over 55M, with social and health costs totaling over $1T every year. A report released alongside the study estimates that €4.2B ($5.3B) could be saved in expenses in England if the commission's recommendations were adopted.^[3]

Sources: ^[1]The Lancet, ^[2]New Scientist, ^[3]CNN, ^[4]BBC News and ^[5]CBS.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Medscape. Dementia is a tragic condition that is becoming more prevalent as life expectancy rises. Fortunately, nearly half of all cases could be prevented with lifestyle interventions, such as promoting physical fitness and fighting loneliness. It is time to think of this condition as an environmental disease, not a predestined one, and endorse structural change to save lives from the grips of this disease.
• Narrative B, as provided by Washington Post. While this is promising news for prevention, it does little to stem the rise in new cases and the conditions patients face. The conditions in care homes are often appalling, as the infirm are shuffled into homes where they run an increased risk of an untimely death. There needs to be investment and regulation to ensure that those who are already suffering from the disease are taken care of.

Predictions