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Researchers have been working tirelessly trying to figure out what causes dementia. Of course, the main could be aging, however, scientists have found a possible link between hypothyroidism and dementia, according to a study published on July 6, 2022, online issue of Neurology.
Not only are older people who suffer from hypothyroidism at risk but those who require hormone replacement for their medical condition are at an even higher risk. Hypothyroidism is a condition that many people have. It happens when the endocrine gland in the neck does not create and release enough thyroid hormones into the bloodstream. This condition can make a person feel tired, gain weight, and be unable to tolerate colder temperatures.
Dementia is not a specific disease but is rather a general term for the impaired ability to make a decision, remember, remember, or think. It interferes with people’s abilities to do everyday activities.
In 2014, there were roughly 5 million adults suffering from dementia. Experts believe this number could rise to 14 million by 2060.
There are a few cases where this glands “disorders have been associated with dementia symptoms that can be reversible with treatment,” according to the study’s author Chien-Hsiang Weng, MD, MPH, of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
Roughly two out of every 100 people between the ages of 65 and 69 have dementia. In addition to hypothyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis, kidney disease, and untreated eye conditions can increase a person’s chances of developing a brain degenerative condition.
Researchers analyzed 7,843 people’s health records, with an average age of 75, who were recently diagnosed with dementia in Taiwan. Then they compared the data with the same number of individuals who didn’t have dementia.
Out of all of those individuals, 102 had hypothyroidism and 133 had hyperthyroidism. Of the ones who had an underactive gland 68 (0.9%) people had dementia. Researchers discovered that people over the age with hypothyroidism were 80% more likely to develop the degenerative brain condition.
Written by Sheena Robertson
Sources:
CDC: Alzheimer’s Disease and Healthy Aging
Cleveland Clinic: Hypothyroidism
Neuroscience: Thyroid Problems Linked to Increased Risk of Dementia
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top and Featured Image by Neuropathologyblog Courtesy of Wikimedia – Creative Commons License
