Some experts are saying that developing dementia has nothing to do with your genetics.
If someone close to you suffers from dementia but is in otherwise good health, you may not agree with this recent research.
Nonetheless, here it is.
A new study conducted in Italy has shown that patients suffering from hypertension have an increased risk of developing dementia.
But not only that, in this case researchers feel that the vast majority of Alzheimer’s and related dementia cases don’t happen because people have a genetic predisposition to developing the diseases.
It’s something else. On the contrary, these scientists feel the diseases surface because patients experience chronic exposure to vascular risk factors such as high blood pressure and hypertension.
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Researchers analyzed the health of participants between the ages of 40 and 65, who were admitted at the Regional Excellence Hypertension Center of the Italian Society of Hypertension.
It was found that patients displaying hypertension had significant alterations in the way their brain worked. When evaluated, they scored significantly worse in the cognitive domains ascribable to executive functions, processing speed, memory and related learning tasks.
What’s the takeaway? Keep going to the gym and jogging, yes.
Beyond that, it’s good to know that an early MRI can be useful. These scans can detect very early signatures of neurological damage in people with high blood pressure. In essence, you can catch dementia before any symptoms appear.
This is certainly good news when it comes to getting a jump-start on early treatment. Wondering if you’re simply forgetful, or it’s something more? Click here.
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