An early diagnosis of dementia can prolong the quality of life. One study tells us to pay attention to changes in hair that can occur in the early stages of the disease.
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Nowadays there are no drugs capable of slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s and therefore a correct early diagnosis can prolong the quality of life of those affected.
In fact, thanks to advances in science, the diagnoses of dementia have tripled from year to year, guaranteeing subjects the time for the right treatments.
Paying attention to those simple symptoms that indicate their appearance is therefore fundamental, among these changes in the hair and skin would be warning signs especially in the initial stages of the disease that should not be underestimated.
He explains it is a study, according to which skin lesions, especially in the hair and nails, are associated with dementia and could be key signals for early diagnosis.
Also read: Alzheimer’s: if you don’t feel these smells well it could be an early sign of dementia (and has to do with diabetes)
Dementia and changes in hair and skin
The pathogenesis of dementia is still unclear today and many risk factors have been identified. Of all the dementia subtypes, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common, accounting for 43.5% of all cases.
The aforementioned study aims to analyze the relationship between Alzheimer’s and different types of skin diseases and provide suggestions based on these associations, which can give dermatologists and neurologists a new perspective on the relationship between Alzheimer’s disease and skin diseases.
It has been highlighted that cognitive decline is often accompanied by skin lesions such as sores (skin wounds due to prolonged pressure), but also excoriations, mycosis and post-traumatic wounds due to gait disturbance. Such lesions would occur predominantly in moles hair and nails.
In particular, a correlation was found between Alzheimer’s disease and mutations in some specific genes, which would lead to skin side effects such as:
- skin rashes,
- hair color changes
- increased risk of skin cancer
The research also found that 70% of hair samples from Alzheimer’s disease patients were characterized by:
- hair that no longer grew
- hair that broke easily
As a result, the hair often took on a coarse and uneven appearance.
Source: PubMed
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