Anemia May Lead to Early Signs of Dementia, Reduction in Memory

Though Alzheimer's disease is the most commonly diagnosed form of dementia, a diagnosis of one hundred percent certainty is impossible until after a person has died and a brain autopsy has been performed. 

Yet scientists believe that anemia may be a key sign of an increased risk that someone may be developing symptoms of this debilitating cognitive disorder, according to a recent study.

"I've been studying Alzheimer's for a long time," said study author Dr. Kristine Yaffe, of the University of California - San Francisco, via CNN. "In particular, I'm interested in things you can modify: cardiovascular disease, sleep, physical activity. We've done a number of studies looking at how different chronic diseases of the body effect aging. We started looking into the issue of anemia... after seeing rudimentary studies that linked it to dementia."

The study looked at 2,500 participants who were in their 70s when data collection began in 1997. They were tested for anemia and various cognitive functioning assignments throughout the next decade.

Researchers found that people who had anemia near the beginning of the study were at a 41 percent higher risk of developing dementia than those who were not anemic. This connection remained the same even when looking at factors such as race, age, sex and education.

Yaffe believes that the link may be a sign of poor health in general, which can potentially lead to dementia in the elderly. Anemia can also cause reductions in oxygen to the brain that have been shown to reduce memory, thinking abilities and even contribute to the loss of neurons.

However, researchers caution that further research needs to be conducted in order to define a definite connection.

More information regarding the study can be found in the journal of the American Academy of Neurology.