TIME (6/25, Park) reports that a study published online June 24 in the journal Neurology suggests that Alzheimer’s disease may begin 18 years before diagnosis. For the study, researchers “followed 2,125 elderly people with an average age of 73 and who did not [have] dementia,” testing the participants “every three years” on their “mental skills,” then comparing “these results over time.”
HealthDay (6/25, Dallas) reports that “after the first year, those with lower test scores were about 10 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than those with the best scores.” What’s more, “these odds increased as the scores dropped below average.” Lower scores on memory and thinking tests may “serve as a ‘red flag’ for the progressive brain disease up to 18 years before it can be diagnosed, the study authors” concluded.
Related Links:
— “Alzheimer’s May Begin 20 Years Before Symptoms Appear,” Alice Park, Time, June , 2015.