Blood pressure and kidney disease are among the 17 risk factors that people can address to reduce risk of three health conditions together — stroke, dementia and late-life depression, according to a new study.
The other risk factors identified include fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, diet and physical activity, sleep, purpose in life and stress, among others.
Researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital, US, said that of these, high blood pressure and severe kidney disease had the biggest impact on the incidence and burden of stroke, dementia, and late-life depression.
They added that while these ageing-related conditions can be a debilitating part of growing older, people can lower their risk through behavioural and lifestyle changes.
The findings have been published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.
“Dementia, stroke and late-life depression are connected and intertwined, so if you develop one of them, there`s a substantial chance you may develop another in the future,” first author Jasper Senff, a post-doctoral fellow at the Massachusetts General Hospital, said.
“And because they share these overlapping risk factors, preventive efforts could lead to a reduction in the incidence of more than one of these diseases, which provides an opportunity to simultaneously reduce the burden of age-related brain diseases,” Senff said.
For the study, the researchers looked at previously published studies that analysed risk factors associated with stroke, dementia and late-life depression.
The team then combined these data to identify the modifiable risk factors — which can be altered through behavioural change — shared between at least two of the three diseases.
“The identified risk factors included alcohol, blood pressure, body mass index, fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, leisure time cognitive activity, depressive symptoms, diet, hearing loss, kidney function, pain, physical activity, purpose in life, sleep, smoking, social engagement and stress,” the authors wrote.
Author Jonathan Rosand, endowed chair of neurology at the Massachusetts General Hospital, said, “Healthcare is increasingly complex. But these findings remind us that preventing disease can be very simple. Why? Because many of the most common diseases share the same risk factors.”
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