PTSD Associated With Higher Alzheimer's/Dementia Risk; Moderate Alcohol Consumption...

PTSD Associated With Higher Alzheimer's/Dementia Risk; Moderate Alcohol
Consumption May Lower it
Also, Survey Shows Adults Don't Know Heart Risk & Alzheimer's Risk Are Related

VIENNA, Austria, July 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Though discoveries about
Alzheimer's disease risk factors are often in the news, adults do not know
about the relationship between Alzheimer's disease risk and heart health, nor
that physical activity can be protective against dementia, according to new
research reported today at the Alzheimer's Association 2009 International
Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD 2009) in Vienna.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090529/ICADLOGO )

Two additional studies reported at ICAD 2009 show higher Alzheimer's risk in
veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and lower Alzheimer's
risk among adults who consume moderate amounts of alcohol.

"Your brain plays a critical role in almost everything you do: thinking,
feeling, remembering, working, and playing - even sleeping," said Maria
Carrillo, PhD, Director of Medical & Scientific Relations at the Alzheimer's
Association. "The good news is that we now know there's a lot you can do to
help keep your brain healthier as you age. These steps might also reduce your
risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or another dementia."

"There's a strong and credible association between heart health and brain
health. If people learn about and do some simple lifestyle modifications, such
as being more physically active and eating a brain healthy diet, it could have
an enormous impact on our nation's public health and the cost of healthcare,"
Carrillo added.

Adults Show a Poor Understanding of Alzheimer's Link to Heart Health Risk
Factors
Colleen E. Jackson, M.S., a doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at the
University of Connecticut, and colleagues conducted an anonymous online survey
of 690 adults to measure "dementia literacy," that is, their knowledge and
beliefs that may assist in the recognition, management, or prevention of
Alzheimer's.

Mean age of the population was 50 years, the range was 30-85 years; 76% of
respondents were female. Ninety-four percent (94%) of participants were from
the United States, with the remaining 6% from other English-speaking
countries. The sample was relatively wealthy, with 18% of respondents making
more than $200,000 per year at the peak of their careers, and well-educated,
with 87% of respondents having completed at least 1-3 years of college.

The researchers found that 64% of study participants incorrectly indicated no
association between Alzheimer's and obesity or high blood pressure. Sixty-six
percent (66%) did not know that high stress is a risk factor for dementia, and
34% did not know that physical exercise is a protective factor.

On the positive side, nearly all study participants (94%) correctly indicated
that Alzheimer's is not normal aging, and is not completely based on genetics.

"Our data suggest that American adults have limited knowledge and a poor
understanding of factors that have been demonstrated to increase risk for
Alzheimer's, such as obesity, high blood pressure, and other heart health risk
factors," Jackson said. "They also didn't know much about protective factors
against Alzheimer's, such as physical exercise, relative to the strength of
the available research evidence."

"We need more education programs and opportunities, across all demographic
groups, focusing on behaviors that modify your risk for developing Alzheimer's
disease," Jackson added.

PTSD Linked to Nearly Double Dementia Risk in Veterans
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is common among veterans returning from
combat and there is some evidence that it may be associated with reduced
cognitive function. However, no study has yet investigated if PTSD increases
the risk of developing dementia.

To address this emerging issue, Kristine Yaffe, MD, Professor of Psychiatry,
Neurology and Epidemiology and Associate Chair of Research for the Department
of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, and Chief of
Geriatric Psychiatry and Director of the Memory Disorders Clinic at the San
Francisco VA Medical Center, and colleagues sought to determine if PTSD is
associated with risk of developing dementia among older veterans in the U.S.
receiving treatment in veterans' medical centers.

They studied 181,093 veterans aged 55 years and older without dementia (53,155
veterans diagnosed with PTSD and 127,938 veterans without PTSD) using data
from the Department of Veterans Affairs National Patient Care Database. Mean
baseline age of the veterans was 68.8 years and 97% were male. They followed
the veterans from 2001 through 2007, including tracking whether they were
diagnosed with Alzheimer's/dementia.

The researchers found that veterans with PTSD in the study developed new cases
of dementia at a rate of 10.6% over the seven years of follow-up; those
without PTSD had a rate of 6.6%. (Note: This is updated data from the
researcher, which is why it differs from the attached abstract.) Even after
adjusting for demographics, and medical and psychiatric comorbidities, PTSD
patients in this study were still nearly twice as likely to develop incident
dementia compared to veterans without PTSD (HR = 1.8, 95% CI 1.7-1.9). Results
were similar when they excluded those with a history of traumatic brain
injury, substance abuse or depression.

"It is critical to follow patients with PTSD, and evaluate them early for
dementia," Yaffe said. "Further research is needed to fully understand what
links these two important disorders. With that knowledge we may be able to
find ways to reduce the increased risk of dementia associated with PTSD."

Moderate Alcohol Intake Is Associated With Nearly 40% Lower Risk of Dementia
Moderate alcohol intake, especially wine, has been associated with reduced
risk of dementia in middle aged adults. It is not known whether this
association is also true for older adults or those with mild cognitive
impairment (MCI).

Kaycee Sink, MD, MAS, Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Department of
Internal Medicine, Section on Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine at Wake
Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC, and colleagues
sought to determine the relationship between alcohol intake and incident
dementia in 3,069 community-living adults aged 75 years and older without
dementia who were enrolled in the Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory Study (GEMS), an
NIH-sponsored study of ginkgo biloba for prevention of dementia. At the
beginning of the study, 2,587 of the participants were assessed to be
cognitively normal and 482 had MCI.

Alcohol consumption was self-reported by study participants and categorized by
the researchers as none, 1-7 drinks/week (light), 8-14 drinks/week (moderate),
and more than 14 drinks/week (heavy). All types of alcohol were counted. The
distribution of alcohol consumption per week was 0=42.6%; 1-7=38.2%;
8-14=9.4%; more than 14= 9.8%.

Participants were examined every six months for up to six years for changes in
their memory or thinking abilities. If someone was suspected of having
developed Alzheimer's or another dementia, they were thoroughly evaluated.
There were 523 news cases of dementia during the follow up period of the
study.

After adjustment for demographics, smoking, co-morbidities, depression, social
activity, and baseline cognition, moderate alcohol intake (1-2 drinks per day)
was associated with a 37% lower risk of dementia in participants with normal
cognition at baseline, but not in those with MCI. (Note: This is updated data
from the researcher, which is why it differs from the attached abstract.)

For older adults who started the study with MCI, consumption of alcohol at any
amount was associated with faster rates of cognitive decline; and those who
were classified in the heavy drinker category (more than 14 drinks per week)
were almost twice as likely to develop dementia during the study, compared to
non-drinkers with mild cognitive impairment.

"Our findings suggest mild to moderate alcohol intake may reduce the risk of
dementia," Sink said. "However, this does not appear to be true for those who
already have mild cognitive impairment. Current recommendations not to exceed
one drink per day for women and two for men are supported by these results."

About ICAD 2009
The 2009 Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's
Disease (ICAD 2009) brings together more than 3,000 researchers from 70
countries to share groundbreaking research and information on the cause,
diagnosis, treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's disease and related
disorders. As a part of the Association's research program, ICAD 2009 serves
as a catalyst for generating new knowledge about dementia and fostering a
vital, collegial research community. ICAD 2009 will be held in Vienna, Austria
at Messe Wien Exhibition and CongressCenter from July 11-16.

About the Alzheimer's Association
The Alzheimer's Association is the leading voluntary health organization in
Alzheimer care, support and research. Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer's
disease through the advancement of research, to provide and enhance care and
support for all affected, and to reduce the risk of dementia through the
promotion of brain health. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's. For more
information, visit www.alz.org.

-- Colleen Jackson, et al - Dementia literacy: Public understanding of
known risk factors (Self-funded)
-- Kristine Yaffe, et al -- Post-traumatic stress disorder and risk of
dementia among U.S. veterans (Funder: U.S. Department of Defense)

-- Kaycee M Sink, et al - Moderate alcohol intake is associated with
lower
dementia incidence: results from the Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory Study
(GEMS). (Funders: National Institutes of Health,
WakeForestUniversityClaudePepperCenter,
WakeForestUniversityKulynychCenter for Memory and Cognition Research)

SOURCE Alzheimer's Association

Alzheimer's Association media line, +1-312-335-4078, media@alz.org; or ICAD
2009 press room, July 11-16: +43 (0)1 931020 7501