Scientists Uncover How to Predict Dementia up to 9 Years in Advance

A new scientific study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association has revealed that early signs of dementia may be recognizable up to nine years before diagnosis.

Such findings could support proactive at-risk patient screenings, such as those over 50 or people with high blood pressure or insufficient exercise, to help identify those who might benefit from earlier interventions and to select potential candidates for clinical trials involving new treatments.

In the UK Biobank database research conducted by the University of Cambridge, problem-solving and number recall tests were found to potentially indicate advancing risk of developing dementia-related illnesses.

Those who went on to develop Alzheimer’s disease showed weaker results in tasks regarding problem-solving abilities, processing speed and memory than those without the condition.

Signs like a fall in the preceding year also seemed to increase likelihood for developing the neurodegenerative disorder.

According to estimates from Alzheimer’s Research UK, more than one third of elderly people living with dementia remain undiagnosed due to lack available screening tests; this awareness must be utilised in order for accurate diagnoses not to go neglected and allow treatments or risk-reduction steps to take place at their most effective periods.