A connection was found between various brain diseases

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Results of a recently completed large study involving several generations show that there is a link between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia.

The study was published on the specialized resource Alzheimer's & Dementia. This was reported by a doctor of philosophy from the department of medical epidemiology and biostatistics of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. Zheng Chang. According to him, this is the first work devoted to the study of ADHD and dementia in extended families. This large population-based study included more than 2 million people and more than 5 million of their biological relatives.

What is known about common familial risk

The team of scientists identified approximately 2, Of the 1 million people born in Sweden between 1980 and 2001, 3.2% of this cohort was diagnosed with ADHD.

National registers were used for the analysis, based on these data it was possible to establish the connection of these people with more than 5 million of their biological relatives, including parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts, and determine which of them subsequently dementia developed.

Adjusted analysis showed:

• Parents of people with ADHD had a 34% higher risk of developing dementia than parents of people without this diagnosis.
• The risk of Alzheimer's disease in parents of people with ADHD was 55% higher.
• People with ADHD are more likely to have parents with early-onset than late-onset dementia. However, the absolute risk of dementia was low for the parental cohort: only 0.17% of parents were diagnosed with dementia during follow-up.
• The association between these pathologies for second-degree relatives of people with ADHD was not as strong. .

The researchers say that the finding of weaker associations with reduced genetic relatedness (more in parents than in grandparents, uncles, and aunts) points to a common familial risk between ADHD and Alzheimer's disease.

In a press release, Chang said that there may be as yet unexplored genetic variants contributing to either traits or certain family-wide environmental risk factors that may influence this association.

Although the research has no direct clinical significance, it may lead to further study of this issue with the aim of improving detection, prevention and treatment of pathology.

According to Heather Snyder, vice president of medical and scientific communications for the Alzheimer's Association, the study answers a pressing question as scientists study the connection between various brain diseases. However, the work shows the presence of a connection, but does not prove a causal relationship.

Importance of the study

According to the WHO, there are more than 55 million people with dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. According to available forecasts, as the population ages, the number of patients will increase, and by 2030 and 2050, it may increase to 78 and 139 million, respectively. At the same time, there is an increase in the number of people with early-onset dementia, and today approximately 10% of all cases are people under the age of 65.

However, the development of dementia is not inevitable, and some risk factors can be reduced. For this, it is necessary to study possible connections between brain pathologies, as well as adequate prevention, including control of hypertension, diabetes, treatment of depression, adherence to diet.