A new study published this year has suggested 16 diseases could be linked around a third of the world’s dementia cases as data suggests nearly a million people in the UK have a version of the condition
04:00, 06 Feb 2026Updated 10:48, 06 Feb 2026
A study has identified new information in relation to dementia (stock)(Image: Getty)
Dementia is an umbrella term for neurological and neurodegenerative diseases, and it is affecting an increasing number of people in the UK.
According to available data, nearly one million people in the UK live with a form of the condition, the most common being Alzheimer’s disease. Numbers are predicted to grow in the coming years.
With this in mind, experts and scientists worldwide are developing treatments aimed at slowing dementia and, one day, curing it altogether.
However, as a cure is not yet available, other researchers are focusing on ways to help people reduce their risk. One approach is identifying which conditions increase someone’s likelihood of developing dementia, allowing individuals to manage these conditions or take preventative measures.
A new study published in the Nature Human Behaviour journal by researchers from organisations including the Sun Yat-sen Clinical Research Cultivating Program in China, has identified 16 conditions that could increase someone’s dementia risk.
Almost a million people in the UK live with dementia (stock)(Image: Getty)
The data suggests that diseases unrelated to the brain may directly affect dementia risk. Conclusions were drawn after analysing UK Biobank data and prevalence figures from the Global Burden of Disease Study spanning 1990 to 2021.
The researchers estimate that these 16 conditions could account for approximately one-third of dementia cases worldwide. According to the World Health Organisation, around 57 million people were living with dementia in 2021, meaning these 16 diseases could – approximately – be responsible for 19 million cases.
The WHO has said there were over 50m dementia cases in the world(Image: Getty)
MedicalXpress reported that the researchers concluded: “Growing evidence suggests that peripheral diseases serve as risk factors for dementia, but the population-level burden of dementia associated with various peripheral diseases has remained unknown.
“By conducting a systematic review and Bayesian meta-analyses to estimate the relative risks of 26 peripheral diseases across nine systems with dementia, including 202 articles searched from PubMed until 6 September 2024, we identified 16 peripheral diseases as associated with increased risk of dementia.”
The 16 conditionsPeriodontal diseasesCirrhosis and other chronic liver diseasesAge-related and other hearing lossBlindness and vision lossType 2 diabetes mellitusChronic kidney diseaseOsteoarthritisStrokeIschaemic heart diseaseChronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseAsthmaAtrial fibrillation and flutterAtopic dermatitisRheumatoid arthritisMultiple sclerosisInflammatory bowel diseaseHope on the horizon
The findings come months after it was announced that a global review of 100 drugs potentially beneficial for dementia patients had been conducted, including treatments originally developed for other conditions that could be repurposed.
Speaking about the news at the time, director at Alzheimer’s Research UK Sheona Scales said: “Around a third of drugs in the pipeline are repurposed drugs and a really promising example of this is the drug semaglutide, which is currently being trialed in people with mild cognitive impairment.
“I think it’s fair to say today that we’re at a tipping point in dementia research as we understand more and more about the diseases that drive dementia.
“This gives us opportunities to slow and ultimately stop this devastating condition. Today’s announcement demonstrates that researchers are able to translate these understandings towards potential new treatments.”