Researchers looked at how specific causes of air pollution are linked to dementia, following a decades-long survey where they regularly checked in with adults about their health
New research has estimated hundreds of thousands of cases of dementia in the US may be caused due to the air we are breathing in.
As we live longer, more and more countries are battling with growing rates of dementia. Almost 188,000 dementia cases in the US each year are thought to be caused by air pollution, with poor air quality due to wildfires and agriculture showing the strongest association with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia later in life.
The research, published Monday, August 14, in the journal JAMA Network Open, contains new estimates which are the latest to underscore a range of health risks long warned to be linked to air pollution.
Studies have already linked poor air quality to a number of health problems, including the risk of developing dementia. However, the new study took a closer look at how specific causes of air pollution seem to be more strongly linked to dementia than others.