A prospective population study of psychosocial risk factors for late onset dementia
G. Persson
Bok Engelsk 1996
| Utgitt | 1996
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| Opplysninger | The role of psychosocial risk factors in the development of late onset , severe dementia was examined in a longitudinal prospective study of a repr esentative sample followed from 70 to 79 years of age. Subjects with any sig ns of dementia at the age of 70 were excluded. Eighteen risk factors occurri ng before the age of 70 were studied, five from childhood and youth, five fr om adult age and eight from the age of 65-70. Thirty-eight subjects develope d dementia, and they were compared to the other 326 subjects. Death of a par ent before the age of 16, previous arduous manual work, physical illness in the spouse after the age of 65 and serious illness in a child after the age of 65 made independent contributions to the prediction of dementia. There wa s a dose-response relationship: in subjects without exposure 3% developed de mentia, in subjects with exposure to one or two risk factors 8% developed de mentia, and in subjects with exposure to three of more risk factors 20% deve loped dementia. The association with psychosocial risk factors was similar i n the aetiological subgroups Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. Ther e was no association with education or alcohol abuse. We suggest that the as sociations between psychosocial risk factors and dementia are due to the eff ects of stress, but other interpretations are also possible. The results sho uld be regarded as preliminary until confirmed by others.
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| Emner |
