A new report from the Lancet gives further momentum to the innovative work that Brain Health Scotland, the prevention team of Alzheimer Scotland, has been implementing since 2020.
Researchers have now estimated that up to 45% of dementia cases could be preventable. This builds on previous work that identified 12 modifiable risk factors (things we can do to reduce our risk) and has now added two new ones, taking the number up to 14. Untreated vision loss and high cholesterol have had recent evidence to support their link to brain health. Specifically, cataracts and diabetic retinopathy, as opposed to glaucoma or age-related degeneration are contributing factors.
We are pleased to see the acknowledgement of the growth and focus on dementia prevention and the opportunities for developing approaches to reducing the modifiable risk factors offered. As the paper notes, there is evidence that the incidence of age-related dementia is reducing in many areas globally, again giving weight to prevention initiatives.
Whilst this is welcome news, we support the calls to ensure prevention approaches reach all populations. The report highlights that people in lower socioeconomic groupings continue to have higher, and increasing, incidence of dementia. We agree that equitable and early access to diagnostic services is essential. Our Brain Health Service, in partnership with NHS Grampian and Scottish Government in Aberdeen city centre, is an example of how services should be developed to offer advice and support on how to modify risk factors that may lead to cognitive decline.
An associated paper Benefits of population-level interventions for dementia risk factors: an economic modelling study for England concludes that by implementing some of the recommendations, England could achieve cost savings of around £4 billion with population-level interventions that tackle dementia risk factors. We call on Scottish Government to similarly model the savings that Scotland could achieve, by implementing and centrally funding dementia prevention initiatives. We agree with the Lancet conclusion there is exciting potential to prevent and better manage dementia, if action is taken to tackle the risk factors beginning in childhood and continuing throughout life.
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