A new report shows that the risk of developing dementia within a year of surviving a stroke is significantly higher. study Using data from Ontario suggests this.
The researchers searched the University of Toronto’s Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences database. They identified more than 180,000 people who had suffered a stroke and matched the survivors to two control groups: the general population and people who had had a heart attack but not a stroke.
The study, which looked at data from 2002 to 2022, found that stroke survivors had an 80% higher risk of dementia than both the general population and people who had a heart attack.
“Our findings show that stroke survivors are uniquely susceptible to dementia, and their risk may be up to three times higher in the year following a stroke,” said lead author of the study. said Raed Joundi, MD, assistant professor in Philadelphia. McMaster University.
Their study also found that almost 20 percent of stroke survivors will develop dementia within the next five and a half years. The risk of bleeding in the brain was nearly 150 percent higher than the general population.
“We found that the rate of post-stroke dementia was higher than the rate of recurrent stroke over the same period,” Joundy said. “Strokes can damage the brain, including areas important for cognitive function, and affect the ability to function in daily life. Some people experience similar progressive cognitive decline.”
Five years after suffering a stroke, the risk of dementia was 1.5 times lower than the general population. Although the risk continues to decrease over time, it remains high for up to 20 years after a stroke.
Joundy, a researcher at the Population Health Research Institute, a joint venture between McMaster and Hamilton Health Services, said the study results support the importance of monitoring cognitive decline in stroke patients, and suggest that smoking cessation and He said people should be encouraged to make lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking. Increased physical activity.
“Further research is needed to understand why some people who have a stroke develop dementia and others do not,” she says.
The study will be presented at the 2024 American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference, February 7-9 in Phoenix, Arizona. This is the world’s first conference of researchers and clinicians dedicated to the science of stroke and brain health. , according to the American Heart Association.
