A cynical attitude could double the risk of dementia claims a new study – as Manchester City Council warns sufferers could rocket to 8,000 by 2050.
The research, carried out in Finland and published last week, followed 622 volunteer subjects over the course of ten years and correlated their cynicism with the incidence of dementia.
Findings suggested that those exhibiting a high level of cynical distrust are twice as likely to develop the illness, which currently affects more than 4,000 people in Manchester.
University of Eastern Finland professor Dr. Anna-Maija Tolppanen, who headed up the new research, told BBC News: “These results add to the evidence that people’s view on life and personality may have an impact on their health.”
Any research into causal factors of dementia would undoubtedly benefit people across the UK – especially in Manchester.
According to Manchester City Council, as of 2007 there were an estimated 4,122 dementia sufferers in the city – figure predicted to double in the next 30 years.
That means that currently nearly a tenth of Manchester’s pensioner population are sufferers, pointing to a higher incidence of dementia in over-65s than of heart disease or strokes.
Manchester City Council’s figures also say that around 40% of people admitted to hospital have dementia.
Although the study is only preliminary – meaning the study group was too small to prove an outright link – Dr. Tolppanen says further research is vitally important.
If more studies support Dr. Tolppanen’s results, what it could mean for Manchester’s health service is a change in the way patients are treated.
And this could see health services in Manchester facing a need to adopt future changes in treatment available for dementia sufferers.
Although Dr. Doug Brown, Director of Research and Development for the Alzheimer’s Society in the UK, stressed that the study was too small for any firm conclusions to be drawn – he believes all-new research is a step in the right direction.
“We do know that some people with dementia experience symptoms of paranoia, confusion and mood changes which can lead to cynicism and distrust,” Dr. Brown said.
“Building a better understanding of the less well-known symptoms of dementia – including personality changes and depression – will help us understand the condition better and improve the treatment, care and support we can provide.”
What the research doesn’t show is why the correlation between cynicism and dementia might be so high.
According to Dr. Tolppanen, there are two possible reasons for this.
One explanation is that people’s personality traits affect how likely they are to eat healthily or exercise – or to participate in cognitive or social activities.
If this is true, it means being cynical could indirectly affect a person’s likelihood of developing dementia by the way it affects their lifestyle.
However Dr. Tolppanen explains that cynicism may not be a causal factor in dementia – it may just be an indicator of how likely someone is to develop it.
This would mean that both cynicism and, in later life, dementia are symptoms of the same physical sort of brain set-up – a person’s mental makeup.
If cynicism is determined by a certain balance of chemicals in the brain and more research could yet demonstrate that the same chemicals are instrumental in causing the condition.
Image courtesy of Akash_Kurdekar, with thanks
