Popular Beliefs About Dementia Risk Reduction, and What Is Actually Published

A substantial share of dementia risk is attributed to factors that can be changed, most of them in mid-life.

Key takeaways

• Leading modifiable factors: hearing loss, high blood pressure, smoking, inactivity, excess alcohol
• Hearing loss: associated with raised risk; hearing aids are recommended
• Most useful single change: Treat hearing loss; it is among the largest single modifiable factors.
• Commonest mistake: Assuming nothing can be done about dementia risk.
• See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.

What the guidance actually says

Here is what guidance actually publishes. The rest of the page is measured against it.

Where people go wrong

Each of these is popular. None of it matches the guidance.

• Assuming nothing can be done about dementia risk
• Ignoring hearing loss because it feels cosmetic
• Social isolation, which is itself a risk factor

What to do instead

• Treat hearing loss; it is among the largest single modifiable factors
• Control blood pressure from mid-life onward
• Stay physically and socially active
• Stop smoking and keep within alcohol guidelines

The part that is genuinely uncertain

Guidance changes, and it changes because evidence does. The figures above reflect current UK guidance from the bodies named at the foot of this page; where those bodies revise their position, theirs is the account to follow rather than this one.

Where to go next

• Dementia Risk Reduction for Beginners: Where to Start
• Answers to the Common Questions on Dementia Risk Reduction
• Dementia Risk Reduction — the reference entry
• The Evidence on Memory Problems, Without the Hype
• Stroke: What Published Guidance Supports

When to speak to a doctor

See a GP for memory problems affecting daily life, difficulty finding words, getting lost in familiar places, or personality change. Memory problems have many treatable causes including depression, thyroid disease, B12 deficiency and medication effects. Seek urgent assessment for sudden confusion, which usually indicates infection or another acute illness.

Where this comes from

• NICE — Dementia: assessment, management and support
• Alzheimer's Society — reducing your risk

How this page was put together

Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.

Medical disclaimer

This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.