Risk Factors

The known risk factors for dementia include:

• Age
• Female gender
• Excess alcohol intake
• Head injury causing loss of consciousness at some point in the patient’s past
• Depression
• Learning difficulties
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Hypertension
• Hypercholesterolaemia
• Smoking

Learning Bite

There are modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors for dementia. Reduction of these factors has not been shown to reduce dementia rates.