The findings of the long-term study, published in the Lancet Regional Health-Western Pacific on Monday, noted that the condition develops when brain cells were damaged from various diseases, some of which cause narrowing of the blood vessels in the brain.

Professor Simon Law, director of the Center for Precision Health at the Edith Cowan University (ECU), said the disorder can be caused by the hardening or calcification, of the abdominal aorta, which is the body's largest artery, responsible for supplying oxygenated blood from the heart to the organs and lower limbs.

Heart specialists have long known that the calcium build-up, known as abdominal aortic calcification (AAC), can lead to cardiovascular risks such as heart attacks and strokes, but the new research has also connected it to the onset of dementia among patients aged 80 and over.

The research team based their findings on AAC results from 968 women during the late 1990s and then tracked their health for more than 15 years.

They found one in two older women had medium to high levels of AAC, and these women were twice as likely to be hospitalized or die from late-life dementia -- independent of other cardiovascular factors or genetic factors.

"There's an adage in dementia research that what's good for your heart is good for your brain," Laws said.

This study reaffirms this link and further adds to our understanding of late-onset dementia risk and potential preventative strategies, he added.

"What's come to light is the importance of modifying risk factors such as diet and physical activity in preventing dementia; you need to intervene early and hopefully this study allows for the earliest possible changes."

The researchers say AAC can be easily detected using lateral spine scans, which are commonly used to screen for osteoporosis.

According to ECU Associate Professor and National Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellow Joshua Lewis, this means that an additional scan capturing lateral spine images could be performed when people undergo standard bone density tests.

"These scans are less-invasive, cheaper and minuscule in radiation exposure compared to X-rays or CT scans," Lewis said, adding that ECU researchers were working with computer scientists to automate the AAC assessments, "which will make the process a lot quicker and easier rather than needing a trained imaging expert to read the scans."

"It means these scans may be a cheap, rapid and safe way to screen a large number of susceptible older Australians for higher late-life dementia risk," Lewis said.

Xinhua

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