Liver Disease a New Dementia Risk Factor?
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Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is linked to an increased dementia risk, with an even greater risk in the setting of comorbid heart disease or history of stroke, new research shows. Investigators analyzed data for almost 3000 older individuals diagnosed with NAFLD and compared them with a large group of matched peers without NAFLD. At the end of the follow-up period of about 5 years, 5% of participants with NAFLD were diagnosed with dementia vs 4.6% of those without NAFLD. However, after adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors, those with NAFLD had a 38% higher rate of dementia overall and a 44% higher rate of vascular dementia.
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@aritra NAFLD is regarded as the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome, and metabolic disorders are shown to be well-known risk factors for dementia. Several other components of metabolic syndrome have been associated with a higher risk for dementia, but it is unclear if NAFLD contributes to dementia independent of these factors.