A study published in Neurology found that dementia risk may be much higher in older persons with a history of hypothyroidism.

The study enrolled 15,686 patients with a female predominance in both the case and control (4,066 [51.8 %]). For individuals who had dementia, the mean (SD) age was 74.9 (11.3) years. The experts found that individuals 65 years of age or older with a history of hypothyroidism who were taking hypothyroidism medication showed the strongest connection with an increased risk of being diagnosed with dementia. Further, it was observed that individuals older than 50 but younger than 65 and have a history of hypothyroidism were not linked to an elevated risk of dementia diagnosis.

The researchers concluded that more research is required to support these findings; people should be informed that thyroid issues increase the risk factor for dementia, and also about the available medications which could slow this irreversible cognitive loss. (MedPage Today July 6, 2022; Neurology 2022; DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000200740.)