Twin's Dementia Tied to Shorter Life Expectancy in Unaffected Twin
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Dec. 19, 2023 -- Shared genes and environment can lead twins with dementia to a shortened life expectancy, even if only one develops dementia, according to a study published online Dec. 11 in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
Jung Yun Jang, Ph.D., from the Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders at the University of California Irvine, and colleagues used case-control and cotwin control models to investigate genetic and shared environmental influences on the association between dementia and mortality. The analysis included 987 twins with dementia and 2,938 age- and sex-matched controls in the Swedish Twin Registry. The cotwin control design included 90 monozygotic (MZ) and 288 dizygotic twin pairs discordant for dementia status.
The researchers found that twins with dementia showed greater mortality risk than age- and sex-matched controls (hazard ratio, 2.02). Mortality risk was elevated but attenuated substantially in discordant twin pairs (MZ twins with dementia to cotwin controls: hazard ratio, 1.48).
"We expected a different result. We expected that, in twins where one developed dementia and the other did not, the difference in lifespan would be just like we see in unrelated people," Jang said in a statement. "What we’re seeing instead is the increased risk of mortality is not due to just the dementia itself, but also a whole package of other influences that the person brings to their disease."
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted December 2023
Read this next
Physical Activity in Middle Age Improves Health Among Women
FRIDAY, May 3, 2024 -- Adherence to physical activity guidelines during middle age appears to improve health-related quality of life among women, according to a study...
Diabetes Increases Risk for Functional Limitations in Older Adults
FRIDAY, May 3, 2024 -- Older adults with diabetes are more likely to develop functional limitations than adults without diabetes, according to a study published online April 16 in...
2020 Cancer Screening Rates Low at Federally Qualified Health Centers
FRIDAY, May 3, 2024 -- In 2020, there were major gaps in screening clients at federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) for various types of cancer when compared with the general...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.