Education and Environment Dementia Risk Factors: A Literature Review

Abstract

Introduction and Background: Dementia has many different causes. Dementia is considered a multifactorial disease; hence the interplay between factors for every case is a complex study. Early and recent reviews had recognised several risk factors associated with dementia in general and with AD specifically. The most studied risk factors include genetics, increasing age, education, environment, and brain injuries. This review aims to give readers access to the latest research on the educational and environmental risk factors of dementia by selecting recent high-quality resources and summarising them in this review. Methods: The current article is a narrative review of broad literature research. Results and Discussion: The comprehensive examination of evidence supports the following. First, low education can be considered a relevant risk factor for developing dementia, although the operationalisation of "low education" is still unclear in many studies. The mechanisms of "cognitive reserve" have an important implication in the relationships between education and dementia, and this has been studied with limitations in people with intellectual disorders. Second, air pollution is now considered a dementia risk factor with plenty of evidence concerning PM2.5 but less conclusive evidence regarding single gaseous pollutants because of the “multi-exposure response.” Conclusion: The considerable body of research points towards an association between these risk factors and dementia prevalence. Low- and middle-income countries will benefit from prioritising child education for all since education is one of the major risk factors for dementia and a wide variety of health disparities.