Increased Risk

A twelve year study through John Hopkins University has concluded that wives or husbands who care for a spouse with dementia are approximately six times more likely to develop the disease themselves. This factor is said to be on par with the effect of having susceptible genes.

This increased risk is comparable to the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease associated with a well-studied gene variant known as APOE ?4, the researchers report. The findings held up even when the researchers accounted for other factors that might influence the risk of developing dementia, such as socioeconomic status.

Norton says the long-term nature of the new research makes the results different from earlier “snapshot” studies showing memory loss in spousal caregivers. “We know that the declines in memory we saw were real and persistent, not just a point in time where they weren’t performing well on tests,” she says.

A strength of the Cache County Study, Rabins notes, is the findings are highly representative of the community since the vast majority of residents age 65 or older are participating in ongoing research. Earlier studies have often relied on results from patients of memory centers and their caregivers, a sample that might not typify the community at large.

Rabins, Norton, and their colleagues speculate that the stress of caregiving might be responsible for the increased dementia risk for spouses, although more research is need to identify what that mechanism might be. If their hunch is correct, Rabins says, doctors who treat dementia patients should pay more attention to efforts to decrease stress for spousal caregivers.

“Caregiving has positive aspects, as well as negative ones. If we can boost the positive aspects and reduce the negative ones, we may be able to reduce a caregiver’s risk of developing dementia,” Rabins says.

Researchers have long been interested in how taking care of a spouse with dementia affects caregivers. Most previous studies have focused on the emotional distress caretakers often experience, rather than how their cognitive abilities might be affected.

Read more at Alzheimer’s Reading Room

Alzcare in Texas. Caring help for Alzheimer’s patients in home settings.