Elderly people who suffer from anaemia face a hugely increased risk of developing dementia, researchers warned last night.
Nearly one in four people over the age of 65 suffer from the problem – but if untreated it can increase the risk of developing dementia by more than 40%, a study found.
Researchers believe anaemia – low levels of red blood cells – means the brain does not get enough oxygen to stay healthy.
US researchers studied some 2,500 in their 70s over 11 years.
Some 393 had anaemia at the start of the research and at the end some 445 had developed dementia.
Some 23% of those with anaemia developed dementia compared with 17% of the others, the researchers report in the journal Neurology.
Researcher Dr Kristine Yaffe, of the University of California – San Francisco, said: "There are several explanations for why anaemia may be linked to dementia. For example, anaemia may be a marker for poor health in general, or low oxygen levels resulting from anaemia may play a role in the connection.
"Reductions in oxygen to the brain have been shown to reduce memory and thinking abilities and may contribute to damage to neurons."
Neurology 31 July 2013
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