Memory Loss In Highly Educated Could Be Stroke Warning Sign
Easier to predict risk of stroke among highly educated
Highly educated people with memory loss could be at greater risk of a stroke than less well-educated people with memory complaints. The memory loss can be a clear sign of a stroke in their case. Researchers from Erasmus MC discovered this based on data from the large-scale population study ERGO in Rotterdam. They just published their results online in the scientific journal Stroke van de American Heart Association.
Every year, about 47,000 people in the Netherlands suffer a stroke. This is an acute brain injury caused by the blockage or tear of a blood vessel. Strokes are the leading cause of disability and the third leading cause of death. Only in a limited number of cases is it known how the stroke occurs. “Various factors play a role and these factors are more closely linked than previously thought”, says Arfan Ikram, neuro-epidemiologist at Erasmus MC’s department of Epidemiology. “Earlier studies showed that a stroke could cause memory problems and eventually dementia. To gain more insight into the origin of stroke we turned the relationship around and wanted to know whether memory problems could predict an increased risk of stroke. We found that highly educated people with memory problems have a 39% higher risk of stroke and that in this case the memory loss could be a clear sign of stroke.”
“The level of education plays an important role in this” says Ikram. “It is known that the risk of dementia and cardiovascular diseases in highly educated people is lower, but if they suffer from memory loss this is a sign to be taken seriously. The brains of highly educated people have greater cognitive reserve as a result of training at an early age. This means that they have a certain buffer if they are affected by brain diseases such as dementia later in life. They are able to endure more brain damage due to their more developed brains. Once they suffer memory problems it often means that they are also likely to have other problems and therefore also an increased risk of stroke.”
Ikram: “Everyone has a tendency to forget things and people should not worry unnecessarily. For memory complaints at old age it is of interest to know whether the symptoms recur and are more annoying than previously. This is something that highly educated people and treating physicians can take into account. It may be useful for people with university degrees who have memory complaints to also consider cardiovascular diseases rather than just dementia. People can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases themselves by living a healthy life.”
The researchers studied the data of 9152 participants from ERGO, the Rotterdam population study of people over the age of 55 in the Ommoord district of Rotterdam. The participants completed a questionnaire about their memory complaints and answered questions used to assess cognitive functions such as memory and intelligence. A total of 1134 participants had a stroke between 1990 and 2011. The article in the scientific journal Stroke has been published online.
Erasmus MC is the largest and most authoritative scientific University Medical Center in the Netherlands. Almost 13,000 staff members work within the core tasks of patient care, education, and scientific research on the continuous improvement and enforcement of individual patient care and social healthcare. They develop high-level knowledge, pass this on to future professionals, and apply it in everyday patient care. Over the next five years, Erasmus MC wants to grow into one of the best medical institutes in the world. Erasmus MC is part of the Dutch Federation of University Medical Centers (NFU): www.nfu.nl.
Hey, check out all the research scientist jobs. Post your resume today!
