Researchers have uncovered a diverse range of risk factors associated with young-onset dementia, challenging the notion that genetics is the sole cause of the disease. The study, published in JAMA Neurology by the University of Exeter and Maastricht University, identified 15 risk factors similar to those for late-onset dementia. Currently there are 370,000 new cases of young-onset dementia every year on a global scale, however not much research has been done in the area.
This groundbreaking research suggests the potential for reducing the risk of young-onset dementia by addressing health and lifestyle factors. The comprehensive study, involving over 350,000 participants under 65 from the UK Biobank study revealed that factors such as lower education, socioeconomic status, genetic variations, lifestyle choices (e.g., alcohol use disorder, social isolation), and health issues (e.g., vitamin D deficiency, depression, stroke, hearing impairment, and heart disease) significantly increase the risk.
Sebastian Kohler, Professor of Neuroepidemiology at Maastricht University, said: “We already knew from research on people who develop dementia at older age that there are a series of modifiable risk factors. In addition to physical factors, mental health also plays an important role, including avoiding chronic stress, loneliness and depression. The fact that this is also evident in young-onset dementia came as a surprise to me, and it may offer opportunities to reduce risk in this group too.”
Professor David Llewellyn emphasized the importance of international collaboration and big data in advancing dementia understanding, highlighting the study’s potential for targeted prevention and treatment. Meanwhile, Dr Stevie Hendriks, Researcher at Maastricht University, said: “Young-onset dementia has a very serious impact, because the people affected usually still have a job, children, and a busy life. The cause is often assumed to be genetic, but for many people we don’t actually know exactly what the cause is. This is why we also wanted to investigate other risk factors in this study.”
The study’s findings supported by various organizations open new possibilities for interventions to reduce the incidence of young-onset dementia. Alzheimer’s Research UK co-funder of the study sees this research as transformative in understanding dementia risk and its potential reduction at both individual and societal levels.
The study titled ‘Risk factors for young-onset dementia in the UK Biobank: A prospective population-based study’ is a prospective population-based study published in JAMA Neurology.