A new study showed that a simple urine test may reveal the risk of dementia decades before the appearance of symptoms, as researchers found that the presence of a specific protein in the urine may serve as an early warning sign that indicates memory problems.
The study was conducted by researchers from the Carolinska Institute in Sweden, and its results were published in the magazine of internal medicine on September 23, and the Independent newspaper was written.
Although aging still represents the larger risk factor for dementia, researchers have shown that diseases in other parts of the body, such as the kidneys, can also affect the health of the brain.
In the new study, the researchers, by following samples of 130,000 people over the age of 65 years, were able to have dementia at the beginning of the study, to prove that people with higher levels of albumin leaked protein to urine, an abnormal condition known as the albumin night, are more at risk of developing dementia in later stages of their lives.
This association was stronger in the case of vascular dementia, the second most common forms of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease, which often occurs due to stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, or other vascular diseases, and in the case of mixed dementia, which combines vascular dementia with Alzheimer’s disease.
It turns out that the validity of this association does not depend on the efficiency of kidney function in the participants, that is, the presence of protein in the urine predicts the risk of dementia independently, even if the results of standard kidney tests appear normal.
Kidney, brain and shared vessels
“The kidneys and brain may appear completely different, but they rely on a network of fine and sensitive blood vessels to work properly, when the blood vessels in the kidneys are damaged due to the leakage of protein to the urine, it can also decrease blood flow to the brain,” explains Dr. Hong Show, Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology, Care and Society at the Carolinska Institute in Sweden.
The kidneys work in the body as filters, as they maintain useful proteins in the blood and filter waste, and when these filters are damaged, the albumin protein begins to leak.
On the other hand, the brain possesses a protective barrier of its own, called the brain blood barrier, consisting of tightly stacked cells that prevent harmful substances in the blood from entering the brain, and as the damaged kidney filters allow the leakage of proteins to the urine, the damaged brain septum allows for the toxins and molecules that cause inflammation to pass through it to the brain tissue, and with the passage of the brain, and with the passage of the brain Time, this increases the risk of damage to blood vessels and infections and the accumulation of harmful proteins associated with dementia.
This discovery opens promising horizons to prevent diseases and prevent damage to the body. Many medications are already used to protect the kidneys may also protect memory, as these medications that in turn reduce protein leakage such as blood pressure medications can play a double role in maintaining the health of the brain.
Recently developed drugs such as Ozmbek, which originally treated diabetes, appear that they also reduce protein in the urine, and to prove if these drugs prevent dementia that requires more research, but early indicators support this.
Early intervention is the best option
The damage to the blood vessels accumulate over the years, so early intervention is the best option, as is the interest in kidney and heart health when middle -aged and after a logical matter, especially for people with diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease, obesity, or people with a genetic willingness to these cases.
Doctors are currently working to make urine protein examination a major procedure for people with diabetes or high blood pressure, but the results of the study raises questions about whether an examination should be performed for all of the ages of 50 years, especially people who have multiple risk factors, that is, they have more than one factor that increases the possibility of a specific disease or condition.
On the other hand, there is no need to wait for new instructions to take necessary measures to maintain the integrity of the brain in this case, as the changes in the lifestyle that protect the kidneys also benefit the brain, as quitting smoking, controlling blood pressure and blood sugar level, following a balanced diet, and exercising regularly, are all factors that can reduce the risk of kidney and dementia.
Urine protein examination can become an essential part of dementia risk assessments, in the event that future studies confirmed the results of this study, it is merely a simple, inexpensive examination and does not require surgical intervention and can be performed in any clinic.
Early detection of dementia and prevention remains the best that can be done at the present time, in the absence of appropriate treatment for dementia.
It is possible to identify people at risk and protect them a long time before their memory problems appear by realizing that protein in the urine indicates more than just kidney problems.