A little-known cerebrovascular accident could quadruple the risk of cerebrovascular accidents. Dementia risk According to a preliminary study by the American Heart Association, the disease is more common in older people.
Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is a disease in which protein accumulates in the brain, weakening blood vessels.
As we age, some of these proteins can collect in blood vessels in the brain with little or no symptoms, the association says.
Study Finds Just One Daily Habit Could Dramatically Slow the Decline in Alzheimer’s Disease
Once the buildup begins to affect brain function, doctors usually diagnose the condition through an MRI or PET scan. In severe cases, CAA can: cause a stroke.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, approximately 23-29% of people over the age of 50 have moderate to severe CAA.
In a new study, researchers analyzed health data They tracked new dementia diagnoses from 2016 to 2022 in approximately 2 million adults with and without CAA. All participants were 65 years of age or older and had Medicare.
Adults were classified into four medical categories: no CAA or stroke, CAA only, stroke only, or both CAA and stroke.
Major new analysis links reduced risk of dementia to routine vaccination
Approximately 42% of patients with CAA diagnosed with dementia Only 10% of people see results within 5 years, a difference of almost 4 times.
Even in the absence of a history of stroke, the risk remained high.
“What was striking was that CAA patients without stroke had a similar risk of developing dementia as CAA patients with stroke, and both conditions had higher rates of dementia compared with participants with stroke alone,” study author Samuel S. Bruce, assistant professor of neurology at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, said in a press release.
Click here to sign up for our health newsletter
“These results highlight the need to proactively screen for cognitive changes after diagnosis of CAA and address risk factors to prevent further progression.” Decline in cognitive function” he added.
For more health stories, click here
Initial research is presented as follows. Preliminary investigation The study will be presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference in New Orleans this week and may undergo further peer review before final publication.
Although this study found strong associations, it also has limitations. For example, it is not fully explained how these protein deposits damage brain function in ways other than causing stroke.
Additionally, the researchers used administrative diagnosis codes from Medicare claims, which Bruce says is an “imperfect” proxy for medical insurance. clinical diagnosis.
“These codes are imperfect surrogates for clinical diagnosis and misclassification may occur,” he said in the release.
To improve accuracy, researchers relied only on diagnosis codes that previous studies have shown to be reliable. However, they did not have access to brain imaging tests that could more accurately confirm the diagnosis of CAA or stroke.
Test yourself with our latest lifestyle quiz
Medical sources say people may be tested for the disease if they are older and have new cognitive symptoms that could indicate small vessel disease, or if they have had a brain bleed or stroke that could suggest CAA.
