Abstract
The prevalence of dementia is rapidly increasing worldwide, and its treatment and prevention are a health concern. The prevention of dementia requires the identification of risk factors through longitudinal studies of lifestyle. In this study, we aimed to identify the risk factors for the development of dementia in Japan and to clarify their primary care strategies. We analyzed the relationship between the cognitive ability level determined by the survey of long-term care certification and the past questionnaire results of a specific health examination in Japan 10 years ago. To analyze the risk factors for developing dementia, multivariate analysis was used, which showed that residents who gained more than 10 kg since reaching 20 years of age had a significantly lower risk of developing dementia. Regarding the “start of lifestyle modifications” question, those who answered “already started” had a significantly lower risk than those who answered “no plan to improve”. Conversely, residents receiving insulin injections or oral hypoglycemic agents were at a significantly higher risk of developing dementia based on the results of the questionnaire of the health checkups surveyed 10 years prior.
Highlights
The prevalence of dementia is rapidly increasing worldwide, and its treatment and prevention are a health concern [1]
The purpose of this study was to analyze the correlation between the cognitive ability level of the municipal investigation and the results of the past questionnaire on specific health checkups, and to evaluate risk factors for the development of dementia in Japan
36.3% of residents were classified as cognitive ability level III or higher
Summary
The prevalence of dementia is rapidly increasing worldwide, and its treatment and prevention are a health concern [1]. According to the WHO, the number of people with dementia was estimated at 36 million in 2012 [2]. The G8 dementia summit reports that the number of patients afflicted with dementia worldwide will double in 20 years, from 66 million in 2030 to 115 million in 2050 [3]. According to a general research report on the future estimates of the elderly population with dementia by a research group of the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare (MHLW) of Japan, 4.62 million people suffered from dementia in 2013, with a future estimate of 6.75 million in 2025 and 8.2 million in 2030 [4]. Dementia imposes a heavy burden on both the patients and their families
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