Objectives: Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia are the most common types of dementia. The pathologies of both diseases are estimated to occur in over 90% of allcause-dementias. Dementias are associated with a high socio-economic burden and a deep suffering of those affected and their caregivers. As of now, dementias such as AD are considered unstoppable processes. Although prevalences of dementia are still rising, incidences fell in some developed countries in recent years. It is conceivable that controlling risk factors might have accounted for this. Scope: Appropriately, in 2020, a commission by The Lancet concluded that up to 40% of all dementia cases could be avoided by timely elimination of modifiable risk factors. Searching for evidence supporting this thesis, we observed a cohort from 2007 to 2020, who underwent therapy with intensive correction of multiple risk factors. Methods: First descriptive results on the cohort. Results: During a mean observation time of 3.4 years, 33% of all patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or with manifest dementia showed cognitive improvement. That means that from the first visit and persisting to the last visit, a transition from MCI to cognitively healthy (CH) or from dementia to MCI or CH occured. In sum, 83% of all subjects remained in the CH or in the MCI condition or improved in disease stage. Conclusion: Ongoing analysis aims to underline that this favorable outcome is attributable to elimination of risk factors. Strategies to implement the challenging approach carried out in this cohort into current health systems will be discussed.
Share this page on your timeline