One in two women and one in three men will develop dementia, stroke, or Parkinson’s disease in their lifetime, according to recent scientific data.
This is an impressive study, running over 20 years, just published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry . According to her, almost half of the Dutch population at risk of developing such a neurological disease that stroke (stroke), a dementia or Parkinson during their life. A higher risk for women (48%) than for men (36%).
A study over 20 years …
The researchers followed 12,102 people aged over 45 in the Netherlands between 1996 and 1 January 2016. A total of 5,291 of them died, of which two out of three developed one of these three diseases: about 30% had dementia (1,489 people), mainly Alzheimer’s, 25% had a stroke (1,285 people) and just under 5% developed Parkinson’s disease (263 people).
The risk of developing one of these three diseases increases with age but especially with sex, the researchers note. Thus, almost one in two women (48%) is struck by one of these three diseases compared to just over one in three men (36%). In the latter, the risk of having a stroke comes earlier than in women who are twice as likely to develop dementia or stroke.
… which has its limits
However, researchers note limitations to their study. In fact, it concerns a European population, that of the Netherlands, whose life expectancy is high: 83.5 years for women and 81.7 years for men. Results that could vary depending on the population sample.
The researchers also point out that the risk of dying from one of these neurological diseases remains poorly appreciated, compared to breast cancer that affects one in eight women or cardiovascular disease that strikes one in four people. With impacts on prevention strategies still not very effective.
Effective prevention
People diagnosed with any of these three diseases had more hypertension , heart rhythm disorder, cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes (90% of cases). Finally, researchers highlight the role of prevention in the onset of neurological diseases. This is very effective. Indeed, it could reduce the risk by 20 to 50% according to the researchers.
