Memory Slips May Signal Increased Risk of Dementia Years Later

Memory Slips May Signal Increased Risk of Dementia Years Later A study published in the online issue of Neurologyå¨, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology suggests that people without dementia who begin reporting memory issues may be more likely to develop dementia later, even if they have no clinical signs of the disease. ‰ÛÏWhat‰Ûªs notable about our study is the time it took for this transition to dementia or clinical impairment to occur‰ÛÓabout 12 years for dementia and nine years for clinical impairment‰ÛÓafter the memory complaints began,‰Û said study author Richard J. Kryscio, PhD, with the University of Kentucky in Lexington. ‰ÛÏThese findings suggest that there may be a window for intervention before a diagnosable problem shows up.‰Û For the study, 531 people with an average age of 73 and free of dementia were asked yearly if they noticed any changes in their memory. They were also given annual memory and thinking tests for an average of 10 years. After death, 243 of the participants‰Ûª brains were examined for evidence of Alzheimer‰Ûªs disease. A total of 56 percent of the participants reported changes in their memory, at an average age of 82. The study found that people who reported memory complaints were nearly three times more likely to develop memory and thinking problems. About one in six participants developed dementia during the study, and 80 percent of those first reported memory changes. ‰ÛÏOur study adds strong evidence to the idea that memory complaints are common among older adults and are sometimes indicators of future memory and thinking problems. Doctors should not minimize these complaints and should take them seriously,‰Û said Kryscio. ‰ÛÏHowever, memory complaints are not a cause for immediate alarm since impairment could be many years away. And, unfortunately, we do not yet have preventive therapies for Alzheimer‰Ûªs disease and other illnesses that cause memory problems.‰Û I would caution that this study could scare people needlessly. Let’s face it. We all forget things.