A new long-term study has shown that a simple scan can reveal whether people are at increased risk of developing dementia as they age.
2949
Australian researchers from Edith Cowan University (ECU) have discovered an important link between vascular health and senile dementia. The connection turned out to be the calcification of plaques that can form in the abdominal aorta, the largest artery in the body that delivers oxygenated blood from the heart to the abdominal organs and legs.
Scientists found that calcium buildup, known as “abdominal aortic calcification” or AAC, is not only important in predicting cardiovascular disease risk, but is also a reliable marker of dementia risk in older age.
The experts studied the results of AAC in 968 women since the late 1990s and then followed their health for more than 15 years. They found that one in two older women had moderate or high AAC levels, and these women were twice as likely to be admitted to the hospital or die of dementia in older age, regardless of other cardiovascular or genetic factors.
< p class="MsoNormal">This discovery will allow you to know about the potential risk much in advance and start treatment at an early stage, when the patient has a better chance of a normal life. However, AAC can be easily detected using a lateral spine scan on bone density machines. Scans like these could be a cheap, fast, and safe way to screen large numbers of older adults for a higher risk of developing dementia.