Dementia, a situation characterised by cognitive decline and reminiscence loss, is a rising concern, affecting tens of millions of individuals and their households worldwide. With its prevalence on the rise, understanding the elements that contribute to the chance of dementia has develop into extra necessary than ever.
On the finish of the day, age stays probably the most vital danger issue for buying dementia. Nevertheless, different elements, together with ethnicity, smoking and alcohol use, and the existence of different well being circumstances, may additionally play a job.
One other necessary danger issue is household historical past. However how does having a relative with dementia impression your personal danger? And when do you have to contemplate getting examined? Beneath, we discover the solutions to those questions and supply sensible recommendation that will help you make knowledgeable choices about your well being.
Does Dementia Run within the Household?
Having an in depth relative with dementia, reminiscent of a father or mother or sibling, can improve your danger of growing the degenerative situation. It is because researchers have recognized a number of key genes which may be concerned.
Whereas we could deal with the expertise of our shut members of the family, analysis additional means that our extra distant relations, reminiscent of aunts, uncles, grandparents, and even great-grandparents, may additionally affect our danger of dementia. So, when assessing your personal danger, you must contemplate your broader household tree, as patterns of dementia throughout generations can give you priceless insights.
Nevertheless, it’s necessary to level out that household historical past alone doesn’t imply you will develop dementia. As a substitute, it serves as an indicator—a sign to concentrate to your different potential danger elements and make adjustments the place doable to mitigate your danger.
When Ought to You Contemplate Genetic Testing?
Whereas genetic testing can provide you useful insights into your danger, it’s a fancy choice that requires cautious thought.
When you’ve got a powerful familial historical past of dementia, then genetic testing could also be applicable, significantly you probably have a number of shut relations (mother and father, siblings, or youngsters) who developed dementia at a comparatively younger age (earlier than the age of 65 years). On this situation, genetic testing could permit you to establish a possible inherited trigger that will assist affect your life-style decisions transferring ahead.
Additionally, you probably have a household historical past of early-onset dementia and are contemplating having youngsters, genetic testing could give you helpful details about the chance of passing on a genetic mutation to your future offspring.
However keep in mind genetic testing will solely level out a susceptibility in the direction of inheriting dementia; it can’t be used to foretell whether or not you’re going to get it.
Early detection and intervention are key to efficiently managing dementia. At Pathways Neuropsychology Associates, we provide complete Dementia and Alzheimer’s screenings to assist people and their households higher perceive their cognitive well being and take proactive steps towards sustaining their well-being. Contact us right now to search out out extra.