Clipping Board » Life Tips ─ Life is also a subject of study...
Update Date: 2009/07/03 22:05
By Song Sijie
(AFP, Paris, 3rd) A study published today in the "British Medical Journal" indicates that individuals who live alone in middle age are nearly twice as likely to develop cognitive problems in old age compared to those who are married or have a partner.
Researchers randomly interviewed 2,000 people from the eastern Finnish regions of Kuopio and Joensuu in the 1970s and 1980s, when their average age was 50.4 years.
In 1998, the researchers reassessed the cognitive impairment status of 1,409 of these individuals, who were then aged between 65 and 79.
Among the 1,409 participants, 57 were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, 82 had mild cognitive impairment, and the remaining 1,270 were in normal health.
The study found that "people who lived alone in middle age were about twice as likely to develop cognitive impairment in old age compared to those who had a partner."
The study also revealed that individuals who were widowed or divorced in middle age and continued to live alone into old age faced three times the risk of cognitive issues.
However, the study authors noted that living with a partner entails "cognitive and social challenges" that may help prevent dementia, though the exact reasons remain unclear.
The study cited statistics estimating that 25 million people worldwide had dementia in 2005, with the number expected to rise to 81.1 million by 2040. (Translator: Central News Agency Intern Translator Song Sijie)
Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ art……url/ d/ a/ 090703/ 19/ 1mex3. html
Study: Middle-Aged Living Alone Nearly Doubles Dementia Risk in Old Age
By Song Sijie
(AFP, Paris, 3rd) A study published today in the "British Medical Journal" indicates that individuals who live alone in middle age are nearly twice as likely to develop cognitive problems in old age compared to those who are married or have a partner.
Researchers randomly interviewed 2,000 people from the eastern Finnish regions of Kuopio and Joensuu in the 1970s and 1980s, when their average age was 50.4 years.
In 1998, the researchers reassessed the cognitive impairment status of 1,409 of these individuals, who were then aged between 65 and 79.
Among the 1,409 participants, 57 were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, 82 had mild cognitive impairment, and the remaining 1,270 were in normal health.
The study found that "people who lived alone in middle age were about twice as likely to develop cognitive impairment in old age compared to those who had a partner."
The study also revealed that individuals who were widowed or divorced in middle age and continued to live alone into old age faced three times the risk of cognitive issues.
However, the study authors noted that living with a partner entails "cognitive and social challenges" that may help prevent dementia, though the exact reasons remain unclear.
The study cited statistics estimating that 25 million people worldwide had dementia in 2005, with the number expected to rise to 81.1 million by 2040. (Translator: Central News Agency Intern Translator Song Sijie)
Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ art……url/ d/ a/ 090703/ 19/ 1mex3. html