Older adults whose spouse has Alzheimer's or another form dementia are more likely to get dementia themselves, finds a new study.
Dementia is a condition characterised by a chronic decline in mental abilities, especially memory. The two commonest diseases causing dementia are vascular disease of brain (less blood supply to brain) and a degenerative disorder called Alzheimer's disease. To examine the effects of caring for a spouse with dementia on the caregiver's risk of developing dementia, researchers identified 2,442 people (1,221 married couples), aged 65 years and older, in Utah, USA, who were dementia-free at the start of the study. During 12 years of follow-up, 125 husbands and 70 wives developed dementia, with both being affected in 30 couples.
It was found that people with a spouse who developed dementia were six times more likely to develop dementia themselves than people whose spouses never had dementia. Men had a higher risk than women. Older age was also significantly associated with dementia risk.
The above findings could be attributed to the speculation that severe stress associated with dementia caregiving may exert substantial risk for the development of dementia in spouse caregivers.
Dementia is a condition characterised by a chronic decline in mental abilities, especially memory. The two commonest diseases causing dementia are vascular disease of brain (less blood supply to brain) and a degenerative disorder called Alzheimer's disease. To examine the effects of caring for a spouse with dementia on the caregiver's risk of developing dementia, researchers identified 2,442 people (1,221 married couples), aged 65 years and older, in Utah, USA, who were dementia-free at the start of the study. During 12 years of follow-up, 125 husbands and 70 wives developed dementia, with both being affected in 30 couples.
It was found that people with a spouse who developed dementia were six times more likely to develop dementia themselves than people whose spouses never had dementia. Men had a higher risk than women. Older age was also significantly associated with dementia risk.
The above findings could be attributed to the speculation that severe stress associated with dementia caregiving may exert substantial risk for the development of dementia in spouse caregivers.