Menschen mit Anzeichen einer Herzschädigung im mittleren Alter entwickeln im späteren Leben häufiger eine Demenz

>middle-aged people with higher levels of a protein called cardiac troponin I in their blood were more likely to go on to develop dementia in later life. The team found higher troponin levels in those with dementia, compared to those without, as far back as 25 years before their diagnosis.
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>Troponin is released into the bloodstream when heart muscle is damaged. Doctors look for very high levels in people they suspect of having a heart attack. However, higher-than-normal levels of troponin, without symptoms, could indicate silent, ongoing damage to the heart muscle or problems with its function. This can have a knock-on effect elsewhere in the body, impacting blood vessel health and blood flow to the brain, and leading to dementia

>This new study involved nearly 6,000 participants in the Whitehall II study, which has followed people who worked for the British Civil Service since 1985 for decades to understand more about health and ageing; Whitehall II is led by Professor Mika Kivimaki (UCL Psychiatry), who also co-authored this latest paper**. All participants had a high-sensitivity troponin test when they were aged between 45 and 69, which can measure troponin in the blood at levels much lower than after a heart attack.
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>None of these people had dementia or cardiovascular disease when they were given their first troponin blood test. They were then tracked for an average of 25 years, completing tests at up to six points to assess their memory and thinking abilities.
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>During the study, 695 people were diagnosed with dementia. When researchers compared each person with a dementia diagnosis to four people without, they found those with dementia had consistently higher levels of troponin in their blood. This was apparent in blood tests they had between seven and 25 years before their diagnosis.
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>**People with the highest troponin levels at the beginning of the study had a 38% higher chance of developing dementia by the end of it, compared to those with the lowest levels.**
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>After taking into account factors including sex, ethnicity and education level, researchers found that people with higher troponin levels between the ages of 45 and 69 showed a faster decline in their thinking, memory and problem-solving abilities.

[High-sensitivity cardiac troponin I and risk of dementia: the 25-year longitudinal Whitehall II study | European Heart Journal | Oxford Academic](https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/advance-article/doi/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf834/8307234)