Major Risk Factors For Dementia

Gender And Age

An individual's gender plays a role in their overall risk of developing dementia. Specifically, research shows females are more likely to develop dementia than males. According to a Dutch study, after ninety years old, women were at a higher risk of developing dementia when compared to men. Women who carry the ApoE4 gene are at a greater risk of developing dementia than men with the gene. Although dementia is not a normal part of aging, an individual's risk of developing memory loss increases when they turn sixty-five years old. Approximately five million Americans over sixty-five years old are living with dementia. According to the Alzheimer's Association reports, an individual's risk for developing Alzheimer's disease doubles every five years after they turn sixty-five years old.

The number of Americans living with dementia is expected to double within the next forty years. This is because the number of Americans over sixty-five will increase from forty million today to more than eighty-eight million in forty years. Surpassing eighty-five years old puts individuals at a fifty percent risk for developing dementia. With numbers like these, dementia does not seem like a young person's concern. But some individuals may experience dementia at a young age (this can be called early-onset Alzheimer's disease).

Drinking Alcohol

According to a Chinese study, drinking large amounts of alcohol can increase an individual's risk of dementia and cognitive decline. The study stated that heavy drinking was associated with an increased risk of dementia and light drinking had a lower risk. A British study confirmed these findings by showing the relationship between drinking alcohol and developing dementia. Light drinking may be able to protect brain cells from developing dementia while those who did not drink occasionally were not found to have this protective barrier. Those who carry the gene ApoE4 and drink heavily are especially at an increased risk of dementia.