A simple 15-point scale may help predict the risk of Alzheimer's disease in the elderly which could help doctors catch the disease earlier and make treatments more effective.
San Francisco researchers looked at a number of risk factors in more than 3,000 seniors who received points for having an older age, poor performance on memory tests and results of imaging studies. They also received points for less well-known risk factors like being underweight, abstaining from alcohol and taking longer than 45 seconds to button a shirt.
Alzheimer's and dementia are characterized by a number of symptoms that include memory loss, impaired judgment or reasoning, and changes in behaviours and mood.
Those who had a lower score had a very small chance of developing Alzheimer's within the next six years while those who had higher scores had a better than 50 per cent chance of developing the disease.
The study's findings are significant given that recently released figures suggest that as many as 1.3 million Canadians may develop dementia or Alzheimer's disease within the next 25 years.
Researchers say this risk survey could help reassure seniors if they score or help prepare families when their risk is high.
Important factors in this risk assessment included a few tests that were indirectly related to blood cholesterol levels. Previous studies have suggested that high blood cholesterol levels in mid-life could increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Hence, the value of this new risk assessment tool further suggests the importance of maintaining healthy blood cholesterol levels for brain health.
