What are dementia risk factors?

Many people are worried that dementia is becoming more common.

For several decades, research suggested that people in the UK were less likely to develop dementia at a given age. This was likely linked to better education, healthier lifestyles and improved management of conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes.

More recent research suggests this improvement may have slowed or stopped for some groups. Rising levels of obesity, diabetes and depression could increase dementia risk in the future.

Dementia can also seem more common for reasons that are not about risk. In the past, many people with dementia were never formally diagnosed, and the condition was spoken about less openly. Today, awareness is higher, stigma has reduced in some communities, and diagnosis has improved. This means more people are recognised and recorded as having dementia.

The UK population is also getting older. Because dementia is more common in older age, this leads to more people living with dementia overall, even if individual risk does not increase in the same way.

More than 200,000 people are diagnosed with dementia each year in the UK. As people live longer and diagnosis continues to improve, this number is likely to rise. This highlights why research remains so important.

Many of us will have a relative living with the condition – but this does not mean we will develop it too.

Most of the genes passed down from our parents only have a small effect on our risk of developing dementia. So, for most people, their likelihood of developing dementia is influenced as much by their age and lifestyle, as their genes.

However, in some rare cases, someone may inherit a faulty gene that directly causes a specific type of dementia. These directly inherited dementias account for just one in every 100 (1%) cases of dementia. Where dementia runs in family in this way, it usually affects people very early in their 30’s or 40’s. Hereditary forms of dementia are very rare over the age of 55.

For more information, visit ‘Genes and dementia’.

For most people, having a family history of dementia does not mean they will definitely develop it. Dementia usually involves a mix of factors, and healthy lifestyle choices are linked to better brain health even if a close relative has had dementia.

Only a small number of families are affected by a rare faulty gene that directly causes dementia. In these cases, lifestyle changes cannot prevent dementia, but they can still support overall health and wellbeing.

For most people, focusing on healthy habits is still worthwhile, regardless of family history.

At the moment, people are not routinely screened for dementia.

This is because there is no simple, reliable, and accurate way to test for the diseases that cause dementia before symptoms begin.

There is also not enough evidence that screening people who do not have memory concerns is helpful in the long term. This is partly because treatments that aim to slow diseases like Alzheimer’s have not yet been shown to benefit people before symptoms begin.

Researchers know that changes in the brain linked to Alzheimer’s disease can start up to 20 years before symptoms appear. Scientists are working to find better ways to detect these changes earlier and more accurately.

Being able to diagnose dementia earlier could mean that future treatments work better, helping to slow the disease and preserve memory and brain function for longer.

Yes. In the UK, around two in every three (65%) people with dementia are female and around one in three (35%) are male.

Women are also more likely to be carers for a loved one with dementia too. Looking after someone with dementia can be difficult, but you’re not alone. You can find information about support services available here.

There is some evidence to suggest that poor sleep over a long period of time may increase our risk of dementia.

However the links between sleep and dementia are difficult to unravel. Scientists aren’t certain whether poor sleep increases the risk of developing the condition, or whether it’s an early symptom of dementia.

Many conditions that can increase our likelihood of developing dementia are also associated with poor sleep, including high blood pressure and heart disease. Making it harder to understand the links.

Although it’s not yet clear exactly how sleep and dementia are linked, it’s generally accepted that getting at least seven hours of sleep a night is best.

If you’re struggling to get seven hours, don’t worry – it’s thought that negative effects are only seen after months or years of poor sleep. Sleep problems are very common, but luckily there are things you can do to help deal with them.

The NHS has lots of helpful tips for how to sleep better, including keeping regular sleep hours, and avoiding caffeine and alcohol before bed.

If you’re still concerned about the quality of your sleep, the best thing to do is contact your GP.