Towards an integrated and life-course approach to the epidemiology of dementia

Excerpt

Dementia is the most common neurodegenerative disease in older people and is often accompanied by significant disability and dependency [1]. Cardiometabolic risk factors play an important role in the multifaceted etiology of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias [2, 3]. While hypertension, obesity, and diabetes in mid-life have been linked to an increased risk of dementia, [4, 5] the relationship between cardiometabolic risk factors in late-life and dementia risk remains controversial in epidemiological studies. For instance, low blood pressure and body weight in late life have been associated with an increased risk of dementia [6, 7]. This has hindered our understanding of the role of cardiometabolic diseases in the etiology of dementia. Longitudinal studies examining the relationship between cardiometabolic factors and dementia over an extended follow-up period would offer valuable insights into the etiological and methodological factors contributing to these controversial findings. …