Eye Disease
Link to Alzheimer's Seen
SUNDAY, Aug. 12, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have
discovered a link between three degenerative eye diseases and Alzheimer's
disease.
They say their findings could lead to new ways to identify people
at high risk for Alzheimer's.
"We don't mean people with these eye conditions will get
Alzheimer's disease," said lead researcher Cecilia Lee, an assistant
professor of ophthalmology at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
"The main message from this study is that ophthalmologists
should be more aware of the risks of developing dementia for people with these
eye conditions and primary care doctors seeing patients with these eye
conditions might be more careful on checking on possible dementia or memory
loss," Lee explained in a university news release.
The study involved 3,877 randomly selected patients, aged 65 and
older. They were tracked over the course of five years, during which time 792
were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
Patients with age-related macular degeneration, diabetic
retinopathy or glaucoma had a 40 to 50 percent greater risk of Alzheimer's
disease than those without the eye conditions, the researchers said.
"What we found was not subtle," said Paul Crane, a
professor of medicine at the university. "This study solidifies that there
are mechanistic things we can learn from the brain by looking at the eye."
The study was published Aug. 8 in Alzheimer's
& Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association.
Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, which affects
more than 46 million people worldwide. That number is expected to rise to 131.5
million by 2050, the researchers estimate.
More information
The U.S. National Institute
on Aging has more about Alzheimer's
disease.
SOURCE: University of
Washington, news release, Aug. 8, 2018
Last Updated: Aug 12,
2018
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