Men with common genetic variant twice as likely to develop dementia

New research has shown that men who wear a common genetic variant are twice as likely to develop dementia in their lives compared to women.

The research, published in NeurologyData of Aspirin used in reducing events in the older (Asprree) test to investigate whether people who had variants in the Haemochromatosis (HFE) Gene is crucial for regulating the iron mirrors in the body, an increased risk of dementia can run.

Co-author Professor John Olynyk, from the Curtin Medical School, said that one in three people has one copy of the variant, known as H63D, while one in 36 wears two copies.

Having just one copy of this gene variant has no influence on someone’s health or increases their risk of dementia. Having two copies of the variant, however, doubled more than the risk of dementia in men, but no women.

Although the genetic variant itself cannot be changed, the brain paths it influences – which leads to the damage caused by dementia – may be treated if we understood more about it. “

Professor John Olynyk, Curtin Medical School

Professor Olynyk said that further research was needed to investigate why this genetic variant increased the risk of dementia for men but not for women.

“The HFE Gene is routinely tested on in most Western countries, including Australia in assessing people on hemochromatosis – a condition that causes the body to absorb too much iron. Our findings suggest that these tests may be offered wider to men, “said Professor Olynyk.

“While the HFE Gene is crucial for controlling the iron levels in the body, we found no direct link between iron mirrors in the blood and increased dementia risk in affected men.

“This indicates other playing mechanisms, possibly with regard to the increased risk of brain injury due to inflammation and cell damage in the body.”

Co-author Professor Paul Lacaze, from Monash University, said that the findings can help improve the results for people who run the risk of developing dementia.

“More than 400,000 Australians are currently living with dementia, with about a third of men. Insight into why men with the double H63D variant run a higher risk, can release the way for more personalized approaches of prevention and treatment,” said Professor Lacaze.

“This study is a good example of how various Australian research groups and universities can effectively work together to learn more about these progressive diseases and ultimately improve the health results for people around the world.”

The Aspree study was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study of daily layer-aspirine at 19,114 healthy elderly people in Australia and the US. Mainly executed to evaluate the risks versus benefits of daily low dose of aspirin in this cohort, it created a wealth of healthy aging data that has supported a wealth of research studies.

The research was a collaboration between Curtin University, Monash University, the University of Melbourne, the Royal Children’s Hospital, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and Fiona Stanley Hospital.