In 2022, the American Heart Association and the United States Institutes of Health released the latest statistical report: The high risk factors for heart disease have also led to an increase in the incidence of brain diseases worldwide, including stroke and Alzheimer's disease.
What do you mean?
That is to say: some risk factors or risk behaviors that lead to heart disease are also risk factors for human cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage and Alzheimer's disease.
Currently the number one life-threatening disease in our country, Alzheimer's disease (Alzheimer's disease) has become the fifth-largest killer of the mainland population, and the number of deaths has increased by 62.4% in the past 13 years.
Nearly 50 million people worldwide suffer from dementia, and by 2050, the number of people with dementia is estimated to increase to 152 million, and statistics show that the mortality rate of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias has exceeded the mortality rate of heart disease in the same period.
Therefore, we must not only pay attention to cardiovascular health, but also pay attention to brain health.
Cardiovascular health and cerebrovascular health are basically the same, this truth is easier to understand, because whether it is the arterial blood vessels of the heart or the arterial blood vessels of the brain, the essence is arterial blood vessels. The essence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases is actually atherosclerosis, so protecting the cardiovascular system is naturally to protect the cerebral blood vessels; protecting the cerebrovascular system is naturally protecting the brain.
So how can the factors that lead to cardiovascular damage also increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease?
Let's take a look at the common factors that contribute to the increased risk of Alzheimer's disease, and the study published in The Lancet in July 2020 found that the most common factors that affect the progression and incidence of Alzheimer's disease include: lack of education, hearing loss, smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, inactivity, loneliness and socialization, depression, diabetes, etc.
Among these factors, we look at which factors lead to cardiovascular damage, smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, inactivity, depression, diabetes these factors will significantly increase the atherosclerotic process, which in turn increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, leading to heart disease.
Therefore, these high risk factors leading to heart disease will not only lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular disease, but also lead to an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease.
Some specific data:
1. Hypertension
A big data, summarizing about 140 studies, found that middle-aged hypertensive patients have a 5-fold risk of cognitive impairment and 2 times the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in healthy people.
People with high blood pressure have a 3-8 times higher risk of coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, cerebral infarction, and cerebral hemorrhage than healthy people.
Therefore, the risk factor of high blood pressure will not only lead to heart disease and stroke, but also increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease, so we must pay attention to high blood pressure and control high blood pressure.
2. Obesity
A study that followed up for more than 40 years found that obese people had a 3 times higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than healthy people.
Obesity has become an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and the risk of hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidemia in obese people is significantly higher than that of healthy people; the risk of myocardial infarction, cerebral infarction and cerebral hemorrhage in obese people is also significantly higher than that of healthy people.
Therefore, obesity, a risk factor, is an independent risk factor for heart disease, stroke and Alzheimer's disease, and even now many scholars call obesity an independent disease.
3. Smoking
Regarding the science that smoking is harmful to health, the skin of our mouth is worn out, and everyone's ears hear the cocoon.
Smokers have an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease by 30% to 40%, and smoking is the main cause of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular waste. So we have been advising everyone to quit smoking, but many people just don't listen.
4. Diabetes
As one of the three highs, diabetes will significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and even lead to diffuse vascular lesions, resulting in greater vascular damage.
In observations pooled into 14 studies, diabetes was found to be associated with alzheimer's risk. The risk of dementia for diabetes increased by 62% in women and 58% in men.
Therefore, we have been popularizing science, attaching importance to the three highs, and attaching importance to diabetes.
Heart disease is related to brain health
Cardiovascular disease itself includes heart disease and cerebrovascular disease, so people with coronary heart disease will also have an increased risk of cerebral infarction. People with carotid plaques are also estimated to have plaques in the coronary arteries of the heart.
On the other hand, arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation itself is a major cause of cerebral infarction, and about 20% of cerebral infarctions are caused by the shedding of thrombosis in atrial fibrillation.
Atrial fibrillation not only directly leads to cerebral infarction, but also statistics show that atrial fibrillation is also a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, neurocognitive studies have shown that atrial fibrillation is associated with a serious decline in cognitive function and dementia for 20 years.
There are also studies that show that coronary heart disease itself can also lead to a 40% increase in the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
In short, some unhealthy lifestyles in our lives, as well as not paying attention to the three highs, will not only increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, but also increase the risk of cerebrovascular diseases, and will also increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
Therefore, we must stay away from tobacco, adhere to exercise, control weight, early detection and early control of hypertension and diabetes, adhere to a good lifestyle, and develop the habit of attaching importance to the three highs, which is not only conducive to the prevention of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, but also conducive to the prevention of Alzheimer's disease!