As reported on WebMD, a first-of-its-kind study presented at the Alzheimer’s Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease suggests that caregivers for spouses suffering from dementia are at substantially increased risk of developing dementia themselves. Wives caring for husbands with dementia are four times as likely to develop dementia as women with husbands who do not suffer from dementia. Husbands of women suffering from dementia were at even greater risk, twelve times as likely to develop dementia as those with cognitively healthy wives. Reasons the article cited for the increased risk included the stress of caring for someone with dementia and associated lifestyle issues, such as the negative impact on diet and exercise. The reason men are at greater risk, the article notes, may be because men are more likely to rely on their wives for maintaining their social circle and keeping up with doctors’ appointments.
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