Alzheimer's + diabetes + high blood pressure = a shorter life

Nov 4 2008

A study has found that people with Alzheimer's disease who also suffer from diabetes and high blood pressure may die earlier.

The study involved 323 people who had no memory problems when first tested but later developed dementia - memory tests and physical exams were then given every 18 months and it was found that following an Alzheimer's diagnosis, people with diabetes were twice as likely to die sooner than those with Alzheimer's but without diabetes.

The researchers also found that people with Alzheimer's disease who had high blood pressure were two-and-a-half times more like to die sooner than those with normal blood pressure.

Study author Professor Yaakov Stern, says research indicates that the average lifespan of a person diagnosed with Alzheimer's can be anywhere from three to nine years and for that person and their caregiver, every minute counts.

Professor Stern, says diabetes and high blood pressure are two controllable factors that may drastically affect how long that person can survive.

The study also looked at how race could affect how long a person lives with Alzheimer's disease and found that Hispanic people lived for eight years after diagnosis, about four years longer than non-Hispanic white people did - African-Americans lived an average of five years, longer than non-Hispanic whites but not as long as Hispanic people but after adjusting for gender and other factors, the results were apparently no longer significant.

Professor Stern, says though they were not significant, they warrant further research.

Dr Stern is with the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain and is also the director of the Cognitive Neuroscience Division at Columbia University Medical Center in New York; he is also a member of the American Academy of Neurology.

The study was supported by the National Institute on Aging and is published in the November 4th issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.