Testing: If you have this blood type, you may be at higher risk of dementia

Dementia is not a specific disease, but it is considered to be one of the most serious health crises. It is the seventh leading cause of death and one of the leading causes of disability. There is no cure for it. Dementia results from a variety of diseases and injuries. There is also a study that suggests a specific blood group is associated with dementia. In her case, the risk of memory loss increases by over 80%.

1. Dementia is a syndrome where cognitive function deteriorates beyond the normal consequences of aging
2. Today, more than 55 million people worldwide live with dementia, and there are nearly 10 million new cases each year
3. Dementia is the result of various diseases and injuries that affect the brain. The most common cause is Alzheimer’s disease
4. Scientists have shown that the risk of dementia may also be associated with a specific blood type. The blood group AB, the rarest in the world, was indicated
5. People with blood type AB should not panic, experts reassured, pointing out that other factors play a greater role in the potential development of dementia
6. More information can be found on the Onet homepage.

What is dementia and how do you know if it is there?

«Dementia is already a global emergency […] No cure is planned. No society has devised a sustainable way to provide and pay for the care that people with this problem will need »- alarmed« The Economist »in August 2020. According to data from the World Health Organization, over 55 million people live with dementia worldwide, and each year there are almost 10 million new cases. It is estimated that by 2050 the number of people with dementia will increase to 152 million.

Dementia is not a specific disease, rather it is a set of symptoms that impair memory, thinking, language, orientation, understanding and judgment, and consequently interfere with or even render impossible everyday life. Importantly, dementia is a disorder that is beyond what might be expected from the normal consequences of aging. In general, dementia is associated with memory loss, but memory loss has various causes. So it’s important to remember that memory impairment alone does not constitute dementia, although it is often one of the early symptoms of dementia. The signal that alerts you that this is not just absent-mindedness, but the disease process, is the moment when forgetfulness begins to be noticed by others.

The rest of the text is below the video.

– We are aware of the usual absent-mindedness. We are aware that we sometimes did not remember something, that something fell out of our head. If, however, relatives signal that it happens too often, that we do not remember what happened on the current day, or that we orient ourselves in places we know less and less, this is an alarm moment, a signal that there is a so-called lost in the present (the key word for dementia) – explained in an interview for MedTvoiLokony neurologist Dr. Olga Milczarek from SCM Clinic in Krakow (the whole conversation with Dr. Milczarek: In Alzheimer’s disease, the brain shrinks and disappears. Why? explains the neurologist).

Symptoms of dementia. Three main steps

We have already mentioned forgetting as an early sign of dementia. The remaining symptoms are clearly communicated by the World Health Organization, dividing it into three stages.

The early stage of dementia is characterized by the aforementioned memory disorders, but also losing the sense of time, getting lost in familiar places.

The middle stage is more pronounced symptoms that may include:

1. forgetting about recent events and people’s names
2. getting lost at home
3. increasing difficulties with communication
4. the need for help with personal hygiene
5. behavioral changes, including wandering, repetitive questions

Late stage of dementia it is almost total dependence on others and inactivity. Memory problems are severe, symptoms become more obvious, and may include:

1. lack of awareness of place and time
2. difficulty recognizing relatives and friends
3. difficulties with coordination and motor functions
4. behavioral changes, which may increase and include aggression, anxiety and depression.

The WHO emphasizes that dementia affects each person differently. It depends on the underlying causes, other medical conditions, and cognitive function before getting sick.

What causes dementia? Relationship with blood group

What makes a person change so much, where does dementia come from? It is the result of various diseases and injuries that affect the brain. The most common cause is Alzheimer’s disease, and it can also be a stroke. Dementia is also caused by, inter alia, excessive alcohol consumption, diabetes, high blood pressure, air pollution, social isolation, depression. In 2014, scientists discovered that dementia could also be related to a specific blood type. A work on this topic was published in the journal “Neurology”.

«The study showed that people with AB blood (the rarest blood group) were 82 percent. more prone to thinking and memory problems that can lead to dementia than people with other blood groups »reported the American Academy of Neurology. As noted, “previous studies have shown that people with type 0 blood have a lower risk of heart disease and stroke, factors that may increase the risk of memory loss and dementia.”

In the study, scientists also looked at the level of so-called factor VIII, a protein that helps blood to clot. As it turned out? «Participants with a higher factor VIII level were 24 percent. more prone to problems with thinking and memory than people with lower levels of this protein. People with AB blood had higher average factor VIII levels than people with other blood types ».

The described study was part of a larger project involving over 30 people. people 45 years of age and older followed for an average of 3,4 years.

Expert: people with blood type AB should not panic

When commenting on the research results, experts emphasized that people with the AB blood group should not panic. This is because other factors play a greater role in the possible development of dementia. “If you had done the same test and looked at smoking, lack of exercise, obesity and other lifestyle factors, the risk of dementia is much, much higher” – commented on WebMD Dr. Terence Quinn, dealing with geriatric medicine.

“People who are worried about dementia, whether they have this blood type or not, should consider lifestyle changes,” he stressed. The aforementioned factors related to lifestyle are responsible for approx. 40 percent. dementia around the world. The good news is that we can influence them for the most part.

We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time we devote it to astrology. Is astrology really a forecast of the future? What is it and how can it help us in everyday life? What is the chart and why is it worth analyzing with an astrologer? You will hear about this and many other topics related to astrology in the new episode of our podcast.