Alzheimer’s disease and dementia do not afflict only old people. Cognitive decline can begin years before signs of dementia set in, which for some can be as early as age 30, a condition known as young-onset dementia. According to a 2021 study, there are as many as 4 million people globally, between the ages of 30 to 64, who are living with the condition, and the case numbers have been rising.
While the key risk factors for later-life dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are well-known: older age and biological sex at birth (women are more likely to get Alzheimer’s), there is much less known about its younger counterpart.
Some of the risks are unavoidable, principally, aging, those that have to do with your genes and your gender at birth; others such as smoking, prediabetes and diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, depression, social isolation and hearing loss may be within your control to modify.
A new study on young-onset dementia, however, has found that many of the same risk factors contribute to its development at a younger age and offer new hope for slowing or preventing the disease.
“This changes our understanding of young-onset dementia, challenging the notion that genetics are the sole cause of the condition and highlighting that a range of risk factors may be important,” said lead study author Stevie Hendriks, a postdoctoral researcher in psychiatry and neuropsychology at Maastricht University in the Netherlands.
“In addition to physical factors, mental health also plays an important role, including avoiding chronic stress, loneliness and depression,” Hendriks said in an email. “The fact that this is also evident in young-onset dementia came as a surprise to us, and it may offer opportunities to reduce risk in this group too.”
The results echo clinical work done with patients who are attempting to fight the advance of dementia, said Dr. Richard Isaacson, director of research at the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Florida, who was not involved in the study.
“Based on my observations from over a decade of seeing patients at risk, I wholeheartedly disagree that people are powerless in the fight against early onset cognitive decline,” Isaacson said in an email. “Rather, my clinical experience much more closely aligns with results of this new study — that it truly may be possible to grab the bull by the horns, and be proactive about certain lifestyle and other health factors, to reduce risk.”
Staying active, socially connected and eating a healthy diet are among the most controllable risk factors.
“Social isolation is linked to depression, but depression did not mediate the association of social isolation with YOD (young-onset dementia) in our analyses, suggesting that both directly contribute to dementia risk,” the study noted.
Hendriks advises, “Be curious: learn new things, spend time on a hobby, stay engaged and socially active by visiting friends and families or going to social gatherings,” she said. “Exercise regularly: keep moving, all levels of exercise work, from walking to vigorous exercise, find something that works for you.”
Overall, people should feel empowered by the results of this study, Isaacson said.
