Age-related health decline a predictor of future dementia risk

Frailty increases a person’s risk of dementia, but early intervention may be key to prevention, according to research led by The University of Queensland in partnership with Exeter.

The international study tracked the data of nearly 30,000 participants of four longitudinal studies in the UK and USA, enabling researchers to detect changes in people’s health and function 20 years before they were diagnosed with dementia.

The new research involving partner institutions from around the world is one of the most comprehensive examinations of the link between frailty and dementia.

Study co-author, Professor David Llewellyn from the University of Exeter Medical School, said: “This study is crucial because it identifies frailty as a significant predictor of dementia risk, offering a potential pathway for early intervention to improve health outcomes.

“The success of this research hinged on international collaboration, allowing us to investigate different populations and enhance the validity of our findings, which are likely to shape future clinical trials and prevention strategies.”

Frailty is a health state related to ageing where multiple organ systems lose their resilience, making individuals more likely to experience adverse health outcomes like falls, disability and hospitalisation.

Dr David Ward, from the Centre for Health Services Research at The University of Queensland, said: “The accumulation of age-related conditions is indicative of increasing frailty, which we found accelerates up to 9 years prior to a dementia diagnosis.

“Our findings show with every 4-5 additional health problems there is on average a 40% higher risk of developing dementia, while for people who are fitter the risk is lower. This suggests frailty is not merely a consequence of undetected dementia but contributes to its onset.”

According to the World Health Organization more than 55 million people have dementia worldwide, with 10 million new cases every year.

Dr Ward continued: “People age at different rates and the number of health problems that accumulate is captured by their degree of frailty. By understanding the connection between ageing, frailty and dementia we can use targeted intervention strategies to reduce risk and improve quality of life.

“This finding supports integrating frailty screening into routine check-ups and could be used to inform health programs which promote lifestyle interventions such as exercise and nutrition.”

The study was a collaborative effort between researchers from The University of Queensland, The University of Edinburgh, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of Exeter, University of Colorado Boulder, Sapienza University of Rome, Dalhousie University, and the Medical University of Graz.

The research was supported by the Deep Dementia Phenotyping (DEMON) Network, and the Australian Frailty Network (AFN).

The study is entitled, “Frailty Trajectories Preceding Dementia in the US and UK”, and is published in JAMA Neurology.