If your spouse has heart problems, you may be more likely to develop dementia

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-08-27 01:00

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You may be at higher risk of developing dementia if your spouse has a heart disease-related event such as a heart attack or stroke, according to international researchers. The team says cardiovascular diseases are a known risk factor for dementia, but they wanted to investigate whether being close to someone with a major heart incident carries risks as well. The researchers followed the health of over 90,000 people aged 65+ enrolled in a Japanese health insurance program, about half of whom had a spouse who'd had a major heart problem. Following up after about two years, the researchers said people with a spouse with heart problems had a higher risk of developing dementia. They say there are various possible explanations for this including the trauma of the heart attack or other heart problem, a higher chance of their spouse dying during the study, or lifestyle changes to help their partner. The study was predominantly in men, and the researchers say further research is needed to explore how gender might impact this link.