Dementia and the Environment: Why it is Important to Study the Link

Dementia and the environment: why it is important to study the link Given that air pollution is already accepted as undesirable for its negative impact on health, and responsible for deaths from respiratory and cardiovascular, why is it important to study the link to dementia? Dementia is a general term for loss of memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking abilities that are severe enough to interfere with daily life. Dementia is increasing exponentially globally. It is estimated by WHO that currently there are more than 55 million people living with dementia. Although no cure is yet available the focus is to modify the risk factors of dementia. One of the risk factors for dementia is exposure to air pollutants. Current literature addresses the link between exposure to air pollutants and cognitive impairment, especially dementia. The presentation aims to give a brief walk through into the literature highlighting the unpleasant effects the environment has on dementia with its possible mechanisms which are pointing toward toxins that damage the cells of the blood-brain barrier, neuroinflammatory processes and oxidative stress triggered by iron-induced free radicals. Air pollution could be capable of worsening the build-up of amyloid in the brains of people living with Alzheimer’s. Smoking is also considered as a risk factor for dementia. Possible explanations could be the vascular risk with an increase in plasma homocysteine caused by smoking; atherosclerotic changes; oxidative stress due to smoking; and the increase the risk for carriers of Apolipoprotein E (APOE) ?4 allele. Cycling whilst breathing filtered air; and increasing green spaces may reduce the cognitive decline and decrease the disease burden.