News: Modifiable risk factors for young-onset dementia identified in new study

For young-onset dementia (YOD), better known risk factors include diabetes, stroke, heart disease, and depression. But risk of YOD may also be increased by vitamin D deficiency, elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, and social isolation, according to a recent study published in JAMA Neurology. The study covered 39 potential risk factors including sociodemographic, genetic, lifestyle, environmental, vitamin D and CRP levels, cardiometabolic, and psychiatric, and identified 15 associated with significantly higher incidence of YOD, Medscape Medical News reported.

Researchers analyzed results from 356,052 participants younger than 65 years without dementia using data from the UK BioBank, an ongoing prospective cohort study. The mean baseline age of the participants was 54.6 years. During a mean follow-up of 8.12 years, they found 485 incident YOD cases.

“While further exploration of these risk factors is necessary to identify potential underlying mechanisms, addressing these modifiable factors may prove effective in mitigating the risk of developing YOD and can be readily integrated in current dementia prevention initiatives,” the researchers wrote.

Other less-known risk factors noted were lower socioeconomic status, having two apolipoprotein E ε4 alleles, orthostatic hypotension, and hearing impairment. Interestingly, men with diabetes had higher YOD risk than those without diabetes, while there was no association with diabetes in women. Women with high CRP levels had greater YOD risk than those with low levels, but there was no association with CRP in men.

Editor’s note: To read Medscape Medical News’ coverage of this story, click here. To read the JAMA study, click here.