Brain disease might be linked with blood vessels.
Many Americans suffer nowadays from various types of brain disease, and the most common one is Alzheimer’s. Around 5 million people suffer nowadays from this disease and scientists calculated that this number will range between 15 to 20 million by 2050 if no treatment is discovered in the meantime.
Alzheimer’s cannot be treated or cured by present medication. It can only be prevented if people improve their life quality and adopt a healthy lifestyle consisting of physical exercises, a healthy diet, recreational activities, and studying.
Experts have come to the conclusion that keeping your brain active significantly reduces the risks of developing brain disease.
A recent study revealed that people who keep themselves busy with various are less likely to develop dementia later in life compared with lazy people. Dementia might also be caused by other health conditions such as thyroid problems, HIV, stress, depression, low sleep quality, and strokes.
The latest study conducted by researchers from the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center showed that small and large blood vessels in the brain might be linked to dementia. When these vessels are affected, they are regarded as a possible cause of brain disease.
Scientists analyzed the brains of 1,143 people out of which 478 suffered from Alzheimer’s when they were alive. Based on the collected data, 35 percent of the participants (401) had brain arteriolosclerosis, whereas 39 percent of them (445) had moderate to severe atherosclerosis.
Scientists also discovered that as the brain vessels were more and more affected, the risks of developing dementia increased as well. Alzheimer’s is considered the leading cause of dementia. That is why it is crucial for experts to find a way to tackle this disease in order to prevent the development of dementia.
According to Dr. Zoe Arvanitakis, lead researcher and neurologist at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, small and large diseased vessels affect the process of thinking and increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s and strokes, which might eventually lead to dementia as well.
Arvanitakis underlined that the study did not aim to find the leading cause of Alzheimer’s or any other brain disease, but to establish whether diseased large and small blood vessels play a crucial role in the development of this disease.
By understanding more about brain disease, scientists hope to develop a treatment that will deal with these health conditions as soon as possible.
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