Sleep disruption and risk of Alzheimer’s
A study from DCE and Stanford University has investigated the possible link between persistent sleep disturbances and an increased risk of Alzheimer’s.
Sleep disturbances may increase risks of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. Benign prostatic hyperplasia is usually associated with lower urinary tract symptoms, including nocturia, and thereby disturbed sleep. Patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia may therefore have an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease.
The study, led by Professor Mette Nørgaard, was based on health information from a total of 1.4 million Danish men through the Danish National Patient Registry and the Danish National Prescription Registry.
The study shows that men with benign prostatic hyperplasia over the age of 60, measured over a ten-year period, statistically had a 21 percent higher risk of developing dementia than men of the same age who did not have these prostate problems.
Funding
The study was funded by the Lundbeck Foundation, Aarhus University Research Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA.
- Read the full research story by the Lundbeck Foundation here
- Read the scientific article Sleep disruption and Alzheimer’s disease risk: Inferences from men with benign prostatic hyperplasia in EClinicalMedicine.