This could prove critical to treating dementia more effectively.
Dementia may be detected in patients up to nine years earlier than before, according to groundbreaking new research from the University of Cambridge. Here’s what the scientists discovered, and why these findings could have a monumental impact on treatments for the disease.
Early warning signs
Researchers analyzed data on half a million patients aged 40-69 from the U.K. Biobank, a biomedical database and research resource that stores lifestyle and health information.
As well as reviewing data on patients’ health and the progression of their disease, the scientists collected results from tests on problem-solving, memory, grip strength, and reaction times — as well as data tracking patients’ weight gain and loss, and whether and how often they had falls.
Those who scored poorly on the cognitive tests, had worse reaction times, and had more falls were more likely to develop dementia later.
The researchers believe that it may be possible to use this info to design a simple 30-minute logic and memory test that could be the key to spotting precursors for dementia earlier than ever.
A poor track record
Treatments for dementia have a notoriously low impact on the disease. This is partly because diagnosis tends to come quite late in the day, even though neurodegeneration typically occurs for years before noticeable symptoms appear. This means that by the time patients are included in clinical trials, it’s often too late to slow the disease’s progress. Catching the disease early could be key to improving patients’ chances of seeing positive results.
Dr. Nol Swaddiwudhipong, of the University of Cambridge, who led the study, said per The Times: “When we looked back at patients’ histories, it became clear that they were showing some cognitive impairment several years before their symptoms became obvious enough to prompt a diagnosis.”
He added that the impairments were often “subtle” and wide-ranging, but that the new test was “a step towards us being able to screen people who are at greatest risk — for example, people over 50 or those who have high blood pressure or do not do enough exercise.” This would enable healthcare providers to intervene sooner, and help patients to reduce their risk.
My memory isn’t great… should I be worried?
The doctors involved in the study stressed that people shouldn’t be particularly worried if they’re, say, not great at recalling numbers. “Even some healthy individuals will naturally score better or worse than their peers,” explained senior author Dr Tim Rittman from the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge. “But we would encourage anyone who has any concerns or notices that their memory or recall is getting worse to speak to their GP.”
