An Overview of Dementia Risk Factors
Scientists have found a number of risk factors for
dementia. While these are not
causes of dementia, they may increase a person's chances of developing the symptoms referred to collectively as dementia. Some dementia risk factors can be treated or controlled and some cannot. Also, certain risk factors are more likely to increase the risk for certain
types of dementia. For example, the risk of vascular dementia is strongly correlated with risk factors for
stroke. Finally, the more dementia risk factors you have, the greater your chances of having dementia.
An example of risk factors for dementia that you cannot change involves getting older (the risk of dementia tends to increase with age). Other dementia risk factors you cannot control include having:
- A family history of dementia
- Down syndrome
- Mild cognitive impairment
- History of a stroke.
Dementia risk factors that you can control include:
There are also things that you can control that increase your risk for developing diabetes, atherosclerosis, and other conditions that may increase your risk of developing dementia. These include:
- Being overweight or obese
- Lack of physical activity
- Unhealthy diet.
On the next page, we will discuss each of these dementia risk factors in more detail.
