Roundup: High Cholesterol is Major Modifiable Risk Factor for Dementia; and Other News

High Cholesterol, Untreated Vision Loss are Modifiable Risk Factors for Dementia, Says New Global Study

A new global study adds two modifiable risk factors that are associated with all dementia cases – bringing the total documented risk factors to 14. The latest research indicates that an estimated 7 percent of dementia cases are linked to high low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or the “bad” cholesterol, starting from about age 40. Additionally, 2 percent of dementia cases are associated with untreated vision loss in later life.

LDL cholesterol can build up on the walls of blood vessels. That buildup, called plaque, can contribute to serious health problems, such as heart disease and stroke. Researchers are increasingly adding dementia to the list of health issues fueled by high cholesterol.

The large-scale review of available evidence published in The Lancet journal indicates that the "potential for prevention is high" in the fight against dementia. The study follows a previous report in 2020 that also focused on the importance of prevention.

At that time, a team of international researchers estimated that 40 percent of dementia cases were linked to 12 risk factors. Those factors included: People having a lower level of education, hearing problems, high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, depression, physical inactivity, diabetes, excessive drinking, traumatic brain injury, air pollution and social isolation.

The new study, led by researchers at University College London (UCL), estimates that the “risk factors associated with the greatest proportion of people developing dementia in the global population are hearing impairment and high LDL cholesterol (7 percent each), along with less education in early life and social isolation in later life (5 percent each),” states a news released from UCL.

Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia, a general term for loss of memory and other cognitive abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases.

“Because of the rapidly aging population around the world, the number of people living with dementia is expected to almost triple by 2050, rising from 57 million in 2019 to 153 million,” states the UCL researchers. “Increasing life expectancy is also driving a surge in people with dementia in low-income countries.”

Research teams involved with both studies urge governments and public health officials worldwide to be “ambitious about tackling risks across the life course for dementia.”

States Gill Livingston, professor in psychiatry at UCL, in a statement: “We now have stronger evidence that longer exposure to risk has a greater effect and that risks act more strongly in people who are vulnerable. That’s why it is vital that we redouble preventive efforts towards those who need them most, including those in low- and middle-income countries and socio-economically disadvantaged groups.”

Risks of Psychiatric Disorders Rise Significantly after Hospitalization for Cardiovascular Conditions, Researchers Find

In the first year after hospitalization for heart disease, stroke or other cardiovascular-related diseases, people were 83 percent more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety, depression, suicide behaviors or other psychiatric conditions -- than people free of cardiovascular disease, new research has found.

The findings, published on the Journal of the American Heart Association, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association (AHA), are based on a new analysis of records from the UK (United Kingdom) Biobank, a biomedical database and research resource with genetic, physical and health data on about 500,000 adults.

“This study’s findings confirm that after a cardiovascular disease diagnosis and/or hospitalization, patients are at increased risk for mental health conditions, therefore, mental health screening and early intervention are crucial,” said Mariell Jessup, M.D., FAHA, chief science and medical officer of the American Heart Association. 

Previous research has found an increased risk of psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD), among cardiovascular disease patients. Unlike the new analysis, most of those studies did not include environmental and lifestyle factors or a large number of participants.

The new research looked at how often patients who had been hospitalized for cardiovascular disease “were later diagnosed with anxiety, depression, stress-related disorder, substance misuse, a psychotic disorder or suicide behaviors in comparison with people of similar age, gender and the presence of other serious health conditions,” states a news release from the AHA.

Participants were excluded if they were diagnosed with cardiovascular disease or a psychiatric condition prior to the date of cardiovascular hospitalization.

The analysis also found that people hospitalized for cardiovascular disease were 24 percent more likely to be diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder up to nearly 8 years later, compared to people without cardiovascular disease. The largest increases in risk were for anxiety, depression and suicide behaviors, such as self-harm or suicide attempts.

Researchers Say They Developed ‘High Quality Cartilage’ in Animals That Could Potentially Help People with Arthritis, Sports Injuries

Scientists at Northwestern University in Illinois say they have developed a new bioactive material – meaning it has an effect on living organisms -- that “regenerated high-quality cartilage in the knee joints of a large-animal model.”

With more extensive research and work, they concluded that the new material could one day potentially be used to prevent full knee replacement surgeries, treat degenerative diseases like osteoarthritis and repair sports-related injuries like ACL tears. The study is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“Although it looks like a rubbery goo, the material is actually a complex network of molecular components, which work together to mimic cartilage’s natural environment in the body,” states a news release from Northwestern University on the study.

The researchers applied the material to damaged cartilage in the animals’ knee joints. Within six months, they observed the hallmarks of enhanced repair, including the growth of new cartilage containing the natural biopolymers, which “enable pain-free mechanical resilience in joints.”

“Cartilage is a critical component in our joints,” said Northwestern’s Samuel I. Stupp, who led the study, in a statement. “When cartilage becomes damaged or breaks down over time, it can have a great impact on people’s overall health and mobility. The problem is that, in adult humans, cartilage does not have an inherent ability to heal. Our new therapy can induce repair in a tissue that does not naturally regenerate. We think our treatment could help address a serious, unmet clinical need.”