06 October 2023 , 09:35
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There are currently more than 900,000 people living with dementia in the UK and that number is increasingly growing according to NHS statistics. Although it is typically associated with people over the age of 65, it can develop in people as young as 30.
According to a recent study, scientists have now discovered a possible link between the condition and an issue we all face in our lives - stress.
It found that those diagnosed with chronic stress or depression are more likely to be at risk of being diagnosed with most the common form of dementia - Alzheimer's, and four times higher if suffering with both stress and depression.
Researchers of the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden examined the data of 44,447 patients between 18 and 65, and followed them for eight years, seeing how many of them were diagnosed with the debilitating condition.
According to Axel C. Carlsson, the study's last author and docent at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, "the risk is still very small and the causality is unknown, but that said, the finding is important in that it enables us to improve preventative efforts and understand links with the other risk factors for dementia.
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"It's very uncommon for people in this age group to develop dementia, so we need to identify all possible risk factors for the disease," Dr Carlsson added, as per the Daily Record. "We show here that the diagnosis is more common in people who have suffered chronic stress or depression, but more studies will be required if we're to demonstrate any causality there."
Being stressed is a feeling we all know. It's a natural response and a feeling of emotion or physical tension in a difficult situation. As explained by the American Psychosocial Association, chronic stress can "impact physical and mental health" and show symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia, muscle pain, high blood pressure, and a weakened immune system.
In the study, those with both chronic stress and depression were found to be four times higher at risk of Alzheimer's. Chronic stress can be diagnosed when the patient has been under stress for at least six months with no opportunity for rejuvenation.
The NHS has shared some top tips on how to de-stress - from exercising to connecting with people and taking some time out for yourself in order to let your body recover from stress. You can find them here.