Dementia (health and wellbeing needs in South Tyneside)

The World Health Organisation highlights factors that increase the risk of developing dementia, these include:

• Depression
• High blood pressure
• High blood sugar
• Smoking
• Excess alcohol
• Lack of physical activity
• Being overweight
• Social isolation

NHS Choices highlights that people can reduce their risk of developing alzheimer's and vascular dementia by:

• eating a healthy diet 
• taking regular exercise 
• managing conditions, like Type 2 diabetes
• being social
• managing high blood pressure
• avoiding smoking 
• only drinking within medical officer's guidelines 

The message being "What is good for your heart is good for your head".

It is thought that building up cognitive reserve over a lifetime, for example via educational attainment and complex work, can reduce the dementia risk.

There is also growing evidence that mid-life depression is a probable risk factor for later dementia, treatment should be encouraged.

The Social Care Centre for Excellence suggests that risk factors for developing EOSD are not fully understood.

In a proportion of younger people, there is a familial link, those who have at least one close relative with dementia have a two to four times greater risk of developing the condition before age 65, most commonly Alzheimer's disease. The effect is stronger for those where the close relative had EOSD.

Another major risk factor is down syndrome which is highlighted in the report above. This suggests that three-quarters of the people with down syndrome, aged over 50, are expected to develop dementia. This is increasingly evident as people with down syndrome are living longer.

Research led by University College London (UCL) found that dementia rates are 22% higher among black people in the UK compared to white people, while black and South Asian dementia patients die younger, and sooner after diagnosis. Source: UCL: Dementia study.

There are clear links with work relating to ways to reduce frailty NICE guideline NG16 for example the need to be more active, reduce alcohol consumption and ensure meaningful activities are provided locally. This includes smoking cessation.

Women have a higher prevalence to the condition than men. Women are disproportionately affected by dementia, both directly and indirectly. They experience higher disability-adjusted life years and mortality due to dementia, but also provide 70% of care hours for people living with dementia.