1. A documented 33% dementia chance post-stroke from an Australian study? May 2012.
2. Then this study came out and seems to have a range from 17-66%. December 2013.
3. A 20% chance in this research. July 2013.
Being Unaware of Memory Loss Predicts Alzheimer’s Disease
TORONTO
-- October 10, 2017 -- While memory loss is an early symptom of
Alzheimer's disease, its presence doesn't mean a person will develop
dementia. A new study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
has found a clinically useful way to predict who won’t develop
Alzheimer's disease, based on patients’ awareness of their memory
problems.
People who were unaware of their memory loss were more likely to progress to Alzheimer’s disease, according to the study. Those who were aware of memory problems were unlikely to develop dementia.
“If patients complain of memory problems, but their partner or caregiver isn’t overly concerned, it's likely that the memory loss is due to other factors, possibly depression or anxiety,” said lead author Philip Gerretsen, MD, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, Ontario. “They can be reassured that they are unlikely to develop dementia, and the other causes of memory loss should be addressed.”
In other cases, the partner or caregiver is more likely to be distressed while patients don’t feel they have any memory problems. Both unawareness of illness (anosognosia) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can be objectively assessed using questionnaires.
The study, believed to be the largest of its kind on illness awareness, had data on 1,062 people aged 55 to 90 years from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). This included 191 people with Alzheimer's disease, 499 with MCI, and 372 as part of the healthy comparison group.
The researchers also wanted to identify which parts of the brain were affected in impaired illness awareness. They examined the brain’s uptake of glucose, a type of sugar.
Using positron emission tomography (PET) brain scans, they showed that those with impaired illness awareness also had reduced glucose uptake in specific brain regions, even when accounting for other factors linked to reduced glucose uptake, such as age and degree of memory loss.
As the next stage of this research, the researchers will be tracking older adults with MCI who are receiving an intervention to prevent Alzheimer's dementia. This ongoing study, the PACt-MD study, combines brain training exercises and brain stimulation, using a mild electrical current to stimulate brain cells and improve learning and memory. While the main study is focused on dementia prevention, Dr. Gerretsen will be looking at whether the intervention improves illness awareness in conjunction with preventing progression to dementia.
Reference: http://dx.doi.org/10.4088/JCP.16m11367
SOURCE: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
People who were unaware of their memory loss were more likely to progress to Alzheimer’s disease, according to the study. Those who were aware of memory problems were unlikely to develop dementia.
“If patients complain of memory problems, but their partner or caregiver isn’t overly concerned, it's likely that the memory loss is due to other factors, possibly depression or anxiety,” said lead author Philip Gerretsen, MD, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, Ontario. “They can be reassured that they are unlikely to develop dementia, and the other causes of memory loss should be addressed.”
In other cases, the partner or caregiver is more likely to be distressed while patients don’t feel they have any memory problems. Both unawareness of illness (anosognosia) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can be objectively assessed using questionnaires.
The study, believed to be the largest of its kind on illness awareness, had data on 1,062 people aged 55 to 90 years from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). This included 191 people with Alzheimer's disease, 499 with MCI, and 372 as part of the healthy comparison group.
The researchers also wanted to identify which parts of the brain were affected in impaired illness awareness. They examined the brain’s uptake of glucose, a type of sugar.
Using positron emission tomography (PET) brain scans, they showed that those with impaired illness awareness also had reduced glucose uptake in specific brain regions, even when accounting for other factors linked to reduced glucose uptake, such as age and degree of memory loss.
As the next stage of this research, the researchers will be tracking older adults with MCI who are receiving an intervention to prevent Alzheimer's dementia. This ongoing study, the PACt-MD study, combines brain training exercises and brain stimulation, using a mild electrical current to stimulate brain cells and improve learning and memory. While the main study is focused on dementia prevention, Dr. Gerretsen will be looking at whether the intervention improves illness awareness in conjunction with preventing progression to dementia.
Reference: http://dx.doi.org/10.4088/JCP.16m11367
SOURCE: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
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