London, United Kingdom

Scientists have now revealed 11 risk factors for dementia that can help you predict if someone will develop the condition in the coming years.

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This comes as experts have forecast that almost triple to 153 million people by 2050 will be living with dementia globally. However, according to them, almost 40 per cent of cases can be reversed if they target key factors including lifestyle changes like losing weight, reduced alcohol consumption and smoking, the Guardian reported. 

The findings were published in the journal BMJ Mental Health. The new dementia score drew 11 factors that could identify people who are at risk or are on the verge of developing it during mid-life. The study was led by the Univeristy of Oxford, which examined people aged 50 to 73 taking part in two long-term British studies — the UK Biobank Study and the Whitehall II study. 

For the UK Biobank study, 220,762 people around the age of 60 were examined to develop the risk assessment tool while some 2,934 people aged 57 helped to validate the Whiteball II study. 

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The researchers then compiled a list of 28 unknown factors linked to dementia risk and identified the strongest predictors. They produced 11 predictive factors or the UK Biobank Dementia Risk Score (UKBDRS) tool. These 11 factors are age, education, a history of diabetes, a history of depression, a history of stroke, parental history of dementia, levels of deprivation, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, living alone and gender.

The scientist also examined a specific gene alongside these risk factors called the APOE gene. They found that UBDRS-APOE produced the highest predictive score of dementia. 

They also identified those at risk, and how they can use preventive measures for people to avoid the illness. 

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Lead scientist, Raihaan Patel said, "The UKBDRS may best be used as an initial screening tool to stratify people into risk groups, and those identified as high risk could then benefit from the more time-intensive follow-up assessments described above for more detailed characterisation."

Furthermore, co-lead and associate professor Sana Suri said, "It’s important to remember that this risk score only tells us about our chances of developing dementia; it doesn’t represent a definitive outcome. The importance of each risk factor varies and given that some of the factors included in the score can be modified or treated, there are things we can all do to help reduce our risk of dementia."

(With inputs from agencies)

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