Dementia Risk Factors

What are the Risk Factors for Dementia?

There are several risk factors for dementia.^[2] Some cannot be changed, but many can be controlled. The two factors that can't be controlled are age and family history. Dementia risk factors increase with age and people who have family history of dementia are more likely to have it themselves. But there are many factors for dementia that you can control:

• Alcohol use  Moderate drinking (one drink a day for women and two for men) may have a beneficial effect, but excessive drinking increases risk.
• Hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) - To reduce the risk of hardening of the arteries reduce LDL (low-density lipoprotein, the "bad" cholesterol) and increase HDL (high-density lipoprotein, the "good" cholesterol). If diet and exercise are not enough, your doctor may prescribe a statin.
• Blood pressure  High blood pressure is a risk for dementia. Diet and exercise can be helpful in reducing blood pressure. Your doctor can prescribe medicine to control it if they aren't enough.
• Depression  Depression late in life, especially in men, seems to be related to Alzheimer's related dementia. Discuss this with your doctor.
• Diabetes Type 2 diabetes increases the risk for developing both Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. If you have type 2 diabetes, talk with your doctor about ways to reduce its impact.
• High estrogen levels  High levels of estrogen in women are associated with dementia. Estrogen levels can be determined through testing. If you have high estrogen, discuss control methods with your doctor.
• Homocysteine levels in blood  Homocysteine is an amino acid produced by your body and it may increase the risk for Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. Normally homocysteine is broken down by B vitamins. If you don't have enough vitamin B, discuss treatment with your doctor.
• Smoking  Because smoking increases the risk of hardening of the arteries and other types of vascular disease, it is likely to increase the risk of dementia.