Anemia can cause dementia

In elderly people, anemia can cause dementia. That is the claim of American researchers at John Hopkins University.

(Artwork: sleepingsolutions.co.uk) Causes of iron deficiency anemia in the body, causing many health consequences. The pale face and prolonged fatigue are the two main signs of iron deficiency.

Dr Paulo Chaves and his colleagues gave 364 women between the ages of 70 and 80 living in Baltimore (USA) 3 tests of cognitive ability. 10% of these women suffer from anemia.

As a result, among women with the lowest score, 15% suffered from anemia compared to 3% in the group with the highest score. When iron deficiency is present, these elderly women are 4 to 5 times less likely to score points, which does not depend on other risk factors such as age, educational level or presence of other illness.

Other studies will be done to find out if iron deficiency affects the brain. According to Dr. Chaves, iron deficiency can lead to prolonged hypoxia in the brain or anemia due to anemia resulting in a lack of exercise, affecting the operation of the prefrontal cortex.

If the results are confirmed, treatment of iron deficiency in the elderly can help them prevent dementia.