Exposure To Pollution Linked To Increased Dementia Risk

Publish On: 01 Apr, 2020 10:02 AM | Updated   |   Shivalik  

Researches have found out that people who are more exposed to pollution are at a higher risk of dementia, especially if they also suffer from cardiovascular diseases.

A study published in the journal JAMA Neurology said that patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) who sleep in polluted environments may require additional support from care providers to stop dementia.
According to the study, published within the journal JAMA Neurology, patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) who sleep in polluted 

"Interestingly, we were able to establish harmful effects on human health at levels below current air pollution standards," said study first author Giulia Grande from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.

"The findings suggest air pollution does play a role in the development of dementia, and mainly through the intermediate step of cardiovascular disease and especially stroke," Grande added.

According to the study, the number of individuals living with dementia is projected to triple within the next 30 years globally. 

No curative treatment has been identified and therefore the look for modifiable risk and protective factors remains a public health priority.

Recent studies have linked both disorder and pollution to the event of dementia, but findings on the air pollution-link are scarce and inconsistent.

To reach the conclusion, the researchers examined the link between long-term exposure to pollution and dementia and what role cardiovascular diseases play therein association.

Almost 3,000 adults with a mean age of 74 and living in the Kungsholmen district in central Stockholm were followed for up to 11 years. Of those, 364 people developed dementia.

The annual average level of particulate 2.5 microns or less in breadth (PM2.5) is considered low compared to international standards.

For the last five years of exposure, the danger of dementia increased by quite 50 per cent per interquartile range (IQR) difference in mean PM2.5 levels and by 14 per cent per IQR in oxide , the researchers said.

Earlier exposures seemed smaller . coronary failure and ischemic heart condition both enhanced the dementia risk and stroke explained almost 50 per cent of air pollution-related dementia cases.

Air pollution is a longtime risk factor for cardiovascular health and since CVD accelerates cognitive decline. 

"We believe exposure to air pollution might negatively affect cognition indirectly," said Grande.

"In the study, virtually all of the association of air pollution with dementia seemed to be through the presence or the development of CVD, adding more reason to reduce emissions and optimize treatment of concurrent CVD and related risk factors, particularly for people living in the most polluted areas of our cities," she added.