A study by neurologists at the Institute of Advanced Medical Research and Training, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, has linked heart health, lack of physical activity, diabetes, and hypertension to dementia in elderly people.
The study sought to contribute to the knowledge and understanding of neurobiology and mechanisms of vascular brain disorders in a population of African ancestry.
Over the last three years, the project enrolled and followed 1,000 adults aged 50 and above living in the Ibadan North Local Government Area of Oyo State.
It found high levels of hypertension, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, physical inactivity, and widespread use of non-prescription medicines among participants, with about 14 per cent of the individuals showing signs of memory decline.
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A professor of Geriatric Neurology, Rufus Akinyemi, who led the study, noted that memory function was worse in women than in men, affecting the older population more than the young.
“Physically fit People have better memory functions. We also found that people who had diabetes, hypertension, and people who are socially isolated had poorer memory functions, as well as those on non-prescription medicines,” Akinyemi said.
“Traditional findings also revealed that memory function was worse in women than in men and in older individuals than in younger individuals,” he added.
Dementia is a syndrome characterised by a general decline in cognitive abilities, such as memory, thinking, and reasoning, to the point that it interferes with daily life.
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