RELATED: Drinking Your Coffee Like This Can Slash Your Alzheimer’s Risk, Study Says. A new study published Aug. 16 in the Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine journal looked at the association between pain and dementia. The researchers used data from more than 2,400 participants who were given comprehensive check-ups—which included detailed pain assessments—between 1990 and 1994, and then divided them into three pain groups: widespread pain, other pain in only the joints, and no pain. Widespread pain is classified as pain above and below the waist, on the left and right sides of the body, and in the skull, backbone and ribs, according to criteria from the American College of Rheumatology.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb Based on the study, those with widespread pain were 47 percent more likely to have Alzheimer’s disease than those without, even after taking into account any other potential factors. These individuals were also still more at risk when compared to those with other pain in the joints only. RELATED: If You Eat This Once a Day, Your Dementia Risk Increases, Study Says. Those with widespread pain are not just at heightened risk for Alzheimer’s disease, however. According to the study, people with this type of pain also have a 43 percent higher risk for all-cause dementia and a 29 percent higher risk for stroke. The researchers say that their study is observational, so it doesn’t necessarily confirm that widespread pain causes these issues, but that there is a clear association. “These findings provide convincing evidence that widespread pain (WSP) may be a risk factor for all-cause dementia, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia, and stroke,” the researchers concluded. The researchers also looked at the specific risk factors for those over the age of 65. This subgroup had risk levels of Alzheimer’s disease and stroke that were even higher than the overall group. People with widespread pain over 65 had a 48 percent higher risk of Alzheimer’s and a 54 percent heightened risk of stroke. But this isn’t all that surprising, as the overall risk for dementia and stroke goes up with age, regardless of pain. According to MUSC Health, around 75 percent of strokes occur in people 65 or older. And once you reach the age of 65, your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or vascular dementia doubles around every five years, per the Alzheimer’s Society. RELATED: For more health content delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter. According to the researchers, previous studies have frequently associated widespread pain with other complications, such as “fatigue, psychological distress, and concentration problems,” as well as “with other medical disorders including irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, and end-stage renal disease.” A 2017 study from the U.K. also found that people with widespread pain have an increased risk of death from certain health concerns, such as cancer and heart disease. But the researchers for this study said that the risk was unlikely to be caused by the pain, but rather a result of the lifestyle factors associated with having the pain in the first place, like low levels of physical activity and poor diet. RELATED: If You’re Driving Like This, It Could Be an Early Alzheimer’s Sign, Study Says.
