Dementia: Know about various risk factors linked to dementia

Dementia is not a single disease; it's an umbrella term that encompasses a wide range of medical conditions, including Alzheimer's disease, similar to heart disease. Abnormal brain changes cause the disorders grouped under the umbrella term "dementia."

The changes cause a decline in thinking abilities, also known as cognitive abilities, that are severe enough to interfere with daily life and independence. They also have an impact on one's behaviour, emotions, and relationships. People who have a high genetic risk of dementia can live a healthier lifestyle and reduce their chances of developing the disease.

Dementia is more common as people grow older (about one-third of all people age 85 or older may have some form of dementia) but it is not a normal part of aging.

Some of the risk factors are as follows -

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, harms the heart, blood vessels, and brain, and increases the risk of stroke and vascular dementia. When your blood pressure is consistently above 140/90 mmHg, you have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. It's a serious condition that leads to heart attacks and strokes all over the world. High blood pressure will be diagnosed in 1.56 billion people worldwide by 2025, according to estimates.

Blood sugar, or glucose, levels that are higher than normal can cause diabetes and increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, cognitive impairment, and dementia. Also, measure your meals and snacks, and keep an eye on your food portions to manage your blood sugar. Use measuring cups and a food scale at home.

Limit other fats and sugars while consuming a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and seafood, unsaturated fats like olive oil, low-fat or non-fat dairy products, and unsaturated fats like olive oil. A healthy diet is important for preventing malnutrition in all of its forms, as well as a variety of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and conditions. However, dietary patterns have shifted as a result of the increased production of processed foods, rapid urbanization, and changing lifestyles.

Read: 5 early warning signs of dementia

Connecting with others and participating in social activities can help to prevent social isolation and loneliness, both of which have been linked to an increased risk of cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease.

Hearing loss can make it more difficult to interact with others and can affect cognition and dementia risk in older adults. If a person's hearing deteriorates in middle age, their risk of developing dementia later in life rises. This could be due to a variety of factors, including:

-Hearing loss can cause people to withdraw from social situations and become increasingly isolated over time. This can deplete their cognitive reserve (see 'Cognitive reserve' above for more information).

-Struggling to hear things may make it more difficult for other mental processes to function properly.

Too much alcohol can cause falls and exacerbate health problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, memory loss, and mood disorders. The effects of cigarette consumption and alcohol drinking on dementia among elderly people have been paid attention to. The association of smoking and alcohol drinking with dementia risk has shown various results in past studies.

These are the two biggest risk factors for dementia in most people. A number of genes that increase the risk of dementia have been discovered by researchers. Although people with a family history of Alzheimer's disease are thought to be at a higher risk of developing the disease, many people who have relatives with dementia, never get it, and many people who don't have a family history of the disease do. In FTDP-17 and several other types of dementia, abnormal genes are clearly implicated as risk factors.

By the time they reach middle age, many people with Down's syndrome have neurological and behavioural signs of dementia.