Single people face lower risk and slower progression of dementia, study finds

Being in a couple has long been associated with better health and greater longevity. However, these benefits do not apply to dementia: Married individuals may even be at greater risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to the results of an American longitudinal study.For almost 20 years, researchers followed 24,107 participants aged between 50 and 104. At each annual visit, a healthcare professional assessed their cognitive status through neuropsychological tests and a clinical examination. The diagnosis of dementia was based on the clinical dementia rating scale (CDR).During the 18 years of followup, 20.1% of participants developed some form of dementia (n=4,853), either Alzheimer's disease (n=3,729), Lewy body disease (n=341), vascular dementia (n=246) or frontotemporal degeneration (n=184).Lower progression riskSurprisingly, all unmarried groups had a lower risk of developing dementia, all diseases combined, than the married or common-law group. Results revealed similar effects for widowed people (HR = 0.73; 95% CI: 0.67-0.79), divorced or separated people (HR = 0.66; 95% CI: 0.59-0.73) and single people (HR = 0.60; 95% CI: 0.52-0.71).Single people also had a lower risk of progression from mild cognitive impairment to dementia. "Married individuals tend to have fewer social relationships and interactions with neighbours and friends compared to singles, who engage in more socializing behaviours. Maintaining social ties could act as a protective factor against dementia over time for unmarried or divorced individuals," wrote the authors of the study published in the journal Alzheimer's and Dementia.Married people diagnosed youngerThe study also showed that married people are diagnosed with dementia at a younger age. A spouse's trained eye could detect the first signs of cognitive impairment. Married people would therefore be more likely to seek assessment for dementia and be diagnosed at an earlier stage than single people.By contrast, widows and widowers are diagnosed with dementia much later in life, on average around 85 years of age, eight years after married people. At the time of diagnosis, they also present the most severe symptoms of dementia.So, is singleness really a protective factor, or does the absence of a life partner prevent early signs of dementia from being detected? This analysis does not answer this question. However, the “fact that single people are more often diagnosed at an advanced stage of dementia or are under-diagnosed due to under-reporting raises concerns about this population,” noted the researchers.This article was translated from its original French and was first published on our sister site Profession Santé.

Single people face lower risk and slower progression of dementia, study finds

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