LONDON, Nov.14 (Xinhua) -- People who lose their partners may face increased risks of being diagnosed with dementia in the short period following the bereavement, according to a study released on Thursday by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
A team led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine explored the link between partner bereavement and the risk for receiving a dementia diagnosis, and if the amount of time after death affects that risk.
The researchers looked at British medical records from 1997 to 2017 of over 200,000 individuals aged 40 years and older, half of which had lost their partner and the other half had not. By following these people for up to 20 years, this study highlights the increase in the detection of dementia triggered by the loss of a partner.
They found that there was a 43 percent increase in risk of dementia diagnosis in the three months following the partner's death, with 367 bereaved patients diagnosed with dementia in this time period compared to 254 non-bereaved.
This increase was still prevalent after six months, with individuals 24 percent more likely to be diagnosed with dementia compared to those non-bereaved, the study noted.
But the team said this does not mean the bereavement directly causes dementia itself.
"We hope the findings will bring greater awareness that this period of time is a high risk for dementia diagnosis, so systems could be put in place for recently bereaved individuals which could speed up diagnosis and improve future quality of life," said the study's first author, Dr Harriet Forbes, who is an assistant professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
The study has been published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
