While Alzheimer's disease and dementia may not develop until later in life, memory loss issues that are symptomatic of these conditions may occur as much as 12 years before an actual diagnosis is made, according to a new study. This finding, which was published in the medical journal Neurology, seeks to dismiss the common belief that periods of forgetfulness or "senior moments" should be ignored.
The study examined 531 people over the course of a decade, none of whom were previously diagnosed with dementia. The research team would check in on the patients annually to gauge the state of their brain health at the time. By the end of the study period, the researchers concluded that the subjects who reported loss of memory support at any point in the 10 years exhibited triple the risk of developing a severe cognitive condition later on.
"Our study adds strong evidence to the idea that memory complaints are common among older adults and are sometimes indicators of future memory and thinking problems," said Richard Kryscio, the study's lead author and a University of Kentucky professor, in an official statement. "What's notable about our study is the time it took for transition from self-reported memory complaint to dementia or clinical impairment — about 12 years for dementia and nine years for clinical impairment — after the memory complaints began. That suggests that there may be a significant window of opportunity for intervention before a diagnosable problem shows up."
Of course, this certainly doesn't mean anyone — young or old — who experiences occasional forgetfulness will definitively develop dementia or Alzheimer's disease. Memory loss is a symptom, but not a mutually inclusive cause, of these conditions. Nevertheless, it's important to take "senior moments" more seriously than not, especially as one gets older.
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