Vascular dementia
Almost half of all dementias in Singapore are vascular dementias. In other words, they are not the result of Alzheimer’s disease, which may be hereditary. Vascular dementias are the result of strokes, very often multiple small strokes called Transient Ischemic Attacks. Repeated small strokes will decrease blood supply to the brain, and this causes the brain to be damaged.
Preventable strokes
These small strokes are preventable, if high blood pressure and diabetes are properly managed. This can be done by dietary control, regular exercise, not smoking, moderation in alcohol intake, and taking medication prescribed by the doctor.
Prevention of diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, some cancers
The wonderful result of the combination of dietary control, exercise, not smoking, alcohol avoidance or moderate alcohol intake, is that they also decrease the risk of developing diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and cancers like breast and colon cancer.
Healthy lifestyle activities
In summary, any sacrifices you make to prevent or reduce obesity, by healthy eating, by regular exercise, by not smoking, and by drinking in moderation, will reap huge dividends. Such a simple message, but so potent. Remember that putting on just 1 kg a year means you can put on 40 kg in 40 years. The beautiful svelte friends of your youth can be unrecognizable if you have not seen them for 40 years.
Kissing Cousins
Everyday during this Covid period, you read in the Straits Times of the people who succumbed to Covid. And most of them had underlying conditions. What are these? Primarily diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, heart problems, strokes, and cancers. Sounds familiar? I know, every time you read of these conditions, your eyes glaze over. Boring. But true. You probably also know of some people with such conditions, and these conditions are related or linked. They are known as metabolic diseases. I think of them as the kissing cousins* of diseases. or a cluster of conditions that occur together.
A typical example is Mr A, who is overweight, has high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol levels. His risk of developing heart attacks and strokes is high, unless he takes definitive steps to reduce his weight, blood sugar, blood cholesterol and blood pressure. All these require a healthier lifestyle as a foundation plus medical treatment.
Sorry to belabour the point, but you can prevent or delay several diseases, and these are:
- Vascular dementia
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- High blood cholesterol levels
- Breast cancer
- Colon cancer
Preventing these are indeed worth every sacrifice you make today. Not all dementias are inevitable. Now you know. Just do it.
I saw a sticker on a motor cycle which read Adventure before Dementia. I prefer No Dementia, Just Adventure.
*kissing cousins are relatives known well enough to be greeted with a kiss. In this context, these diseases often appear together in a cluster, like relatives you know well.
Picture summary
The journal Lancet has a nice picture summary of the risk factors of dementia. Click here https://www.thelancet.com/infographics/dementia-risk
Acknowledgments
Grateful thanks are due to the following:
- Feature photo by Jannes Glas on Unsplash
- Lancet for the infographic on Risk factors for dementia
lingsinglin
Dr Ling Sing Lin is a medical doctor by training. She worked in MOH HQ for many years, in policy making and administrative positions, until her retirement.
