Research, University of Copenhagen (University of Copenhagen) gives the absolute ten-year risk prediction of dementia, depending on age, sex, and the total variation of the gene APOE, which may help to identify individuals with high risk for early targeted prevention. A study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
Dementia is the leading cause of disability in older people worldwide, but effective treatment does not currently exist. The reduction of risk factors of development of age-related dementia can potentially delay or prevent the development of the disease. Age, gender, and the total variation of the APOE gene determine people with high risk and the greatest capacity to benefit from targeted interventions to reduce risk factors.
Apolipoprotein E (APOE) is a protein that is crucial for cholesterol metabolism and purification of the brain from amyloid protein in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Recently it has been estimated that one third of dementia is most likely to be prevented. According to the Lancet Commission (Commission of the Lancet), early intervention against hypertension, Smoking, diabetes, obesity, depression and hearing loss may slow or prevent the development of disease. If these individuals are high risk can be identified, targeted prevention, risk reduction can be initiated prior to the development of the disease, delaying the onset of dementia or prevent it, said Ruth Frikke-Schmidt (Ruth Frikke-Schmidt), Professor, University of Copenhagen and Department of clinical biochemistry, hospital Riggs (Rigshospitalet).
The researchers studied data 104 537 of copenhagena and found that the combination of age, sex and total variation APOE gene can identify high-risk groups:
- at the age of 60 years 7% risk for women and 6% risk for men;
- at the age of 70 years, the risk is 16% and 12%, respectively;
- at the age of 80 and older the risk of 24% and 19%, respectively.
However, since the study included only white Europeans, the results are limited and cannot be generalized.
The existing ten-year absolute risk estimates of dementia by age, sex and total variation of the gene APOE can potentially identify individuals with high risk for early targeted prevention interventions, say the authors.
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