Work

The role of risk factors in development of dementia in the Czech Republic

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Background In 2020, the Lancet Commission introduced a meta‐analysis featuring a life course model encompassing 12 potentially modifiable risk factors for dementia: low education, hypertension, hearing impairment, smoking, obesity, depression, physical inactivity, diabetes, low social contact, alcohol consumption, traumatic brain injury, and air pollution. The aim of this study is to investigate the association of the aforementioned risk factors with the incidence of dementia with the incidence of dementia in the Czech Republic, capitalizing on a nation‐wide population‐based study. Method The analysis was based on data from Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Participants were included in the analytical sample if they fulfilled the following criteria: age of entry to the study of 65 years and higher, participation in at least two waves of SHARE, at least two measurements of cognitive function, and dementia‐free state at baseline. To study the association of risk factors with the incident dementia, we utilized Cox hazards models estimating hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Result Out of the ten risk factors, five presented an association with dementia, when adjusted for age, sex and birth cohort. The strongest hazard was found for physical inactivity, followed by low education, diabetes mellitus, depression and living alone. There was a tendency of sex being an effect modifier in the association of alcohol use, living alone and low education with incident dementia. Conclusion In the present study, capitalizing on more than 3,500 community‐dwelling older adults, we found an association for only half of the proposed risk factors. More systematic attention should be paid to mitigating the negative effect of dementia risk factors as this could contribute to the reduction of incident dementia cases in the Czech Republic, Future studies should replicate the findings of this study in other CEE countries and ideally should have a longer follow‐up period to prevent reverse causation.

Source: Alzheimer s & Dementia

DOI: 10.1002/alz.092375

Author: Matěj Kučera

Institutions: Charles University, National Institute of Mental Health, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Language: English

Topic: Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research

Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,000