WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A new study from Taiwan found that people whose husband or wife had dementia were more likely to develop dementia themselves than those whose spouse did not have the condition.
The researchers believe several factors may explain the link. Couples often share similar lifestyles, eating habits, exercise routines, financial situations, and other health risks.
In addition, caring for a spouse with dementia can be physically and emotionally stressful, which may affect brain health over time. While the study could not measure caregiving stress directly, it found a strong and consistent link between having a spouse with dementia and a higher chance of developing the condition later in life.
The researchers used Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database to analyze medical records from 1998 to 2022 and identify people whose spouses had recently been diagnosed with dementia. They compared them with a similar group whose spouses did not have dementia. The two groups were matched based on age, sex, income, and place of residence to ensure a fair comparison.
The results showed a significantly higher risk of dementia among people whose spouses had the condition. Women whose husbands had dementia were 74 percent more likely to develop dementia than women whose husbands did not have the disease. Men whose wives had dementia had a 69 percent higher risk. The increased risk was also seen across different types of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.
Among women, about 6.5 percent developed dementia within five years if their husband had dementia, compared with about 3.7 percent of women whose husbands did not. Among men, the five-year risk was about 9.2 percent if their wife had dementia, compared with about 5.8 percent for those whose wives did not have the condition.
Interestingly, the biggest increase in risk was seen among spouses younger than 55 years, although older adults still had a higher overall risk because dementia becomes more common with age. The researchers suggested that this may be due to shared health risks between partners or the stress of caring for a spouse with dementia, but the study could not confirm these reasons.
Income and family support also appeared to play a role. People with lower incomes and fewer children had a greater increase in dementia risk. The researchers said lower-income families may have fewer resources to hire caregivers, while couples with fewer children may have less family support. Among couples without children, wives showed a slightly higher increase in risk than husbands, possibly because women often take on more caregiving responsibilities. However, the researchers said this finding was based on a small group and should be interpreted with caution.
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