Failing Kidneys Could Bring Higher Dementia Risk

A Swedish study published in Neurology suggests that chronic kidney disease may elevate the risk of dementia, reports Newsmax Health . "Even a mild reduction in kidney function has been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and infections, and there is growing evidence of a relationship between the kidneys and the brain," said Hong Xu at the Karolinska Institute. Xu's team analyzed health data from nearly 330,000 older people in Stockholm, none of whom had dementia, kidney transplants, or dialysis when the study began. Over an average five-year follow-up, 6 percent were diagnosed with dementia, and the rate of dementia increased as kidney function declined. Dementia rates were over four times higher among those with a kidney filtration rate below 30 mL per minute, versus those with a normal filtration rate of 90 to 104 mL per minute. Compared to people with normal kidney function, those with filtration rates of 30 to 59 mL per minute had a 71 percent higher dementia risk, while individuals with filtration rates below 30 mL had a 162 percent higher risk. A faster decline in kidney filtration rates also was affiliated with a greater risk of dementia diagnosis. "With no effective treatments to slow or prevent dementia, it is important to identify possible modifiable risk factors," Xu said.