Latest news with #MingzhouFu
Time of India
10-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Study identifies four distinct clusters of symptoms that can possibly advance to Alzheimer's
New Delhi: A study has identified four distinct clusters of symptoms, including psychiatric and cardiovascular, that can progressively lead to Alzheimer's disease -- an ageing-related condition in which memory and speech steadily declines, eventually disrupting daily activities. Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, US, said the study offers new insights into how the disorder can develop over time rather than from isolated risk factors. "We found that multi-step trajectories can indicate greater risk factors for Alzheimer's disease than single conditions," first author Mingzhou Fu, a medical informatics pre-doctoral student at the University of California, said. "Understanding these pathways could fundamentally change how we approach early detection and prevention," Fu said. The study, published in the journal eBioMedicine Part of THE LANCET Discovery Science, analysed records from the 'University of California Health Data Warehouse'. From data of more than 5,700 patients, nearly 6,800 unique sequences or 'pathways' were discerned, revealing how conditions can progress step-by-step towards Alzheimer's disease. The psychiatric cluster of symptoms were classified under the ' mental health pathway ', which is centred on a depressive episode, and can potentially develop into Alzheimer's, the researchers said. Common diagnoses preceding depression can include hypertension, type 2 diabetes and intestinal disorders, the team said. The ' encephalopathy pathway ' -- analysed to be the "most aggressive" -- includes conditions related to brain dysfunction that escalate with time, preceding stages of which can involve cerebrovascular and urinary diseases, among others. The encephalopathy cluster showed the quickest progression to Alzheimer's disease and subsequent death, the researchers said. The ' mild cognitive impairment pathway ' -- the third cluster of symptoms -- encompasses problems with cognition or thought processes, especially memory. Preceding stages were found to include menopause and male erectile dysfunction, among others. The fourth cluster of symptoms forming the ' vascular disease pathway ' looked at conditions affecting blood flow to the brain, potentially causing a stroke or neurological defects. These could be preceded by disorders of the joint and soft tissue, and chronic pain conditions, such as back pain, the researchers said. Around 26 per cent of the 6,800 unique progressions outlined in the study were found to show consistent directional ordering -- for example, hypertension often preceded depressive episodes, which then increased Alzheimer's risk, the team said. "Recognising these sequential patterns rather than focusing on diagnoses in isolation may help clinicians improve Alzheimer's disease diagnosis," lead author Timothy Chang, assistant professor of neurology at the University of California, said. The authors wrote, "5,762 patients contributed 6,794 unique (Alzheimer's disease) progression trajectories, revealing four major trajectory clusters: mental health, encephalopathy, mild cognitive impairment, and vascular disease." PTI KRS KRS MNK MNK
Daily Record
09-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Four health 'patterns' that can lead to Alzheimer's including mental health issues
Experts say findings could provide a major change to how the incurable condition is treated A new study by scientists has uncovered four groups of health problems that can eventually lead to Alzheimer's disease. It is thought that the discovery, made by researchers at the University of California, could 'fundamentally change' how we can prevent and diagnose Alzheimer's. Health researchers at UCLA analysed electronic health records from nearly 250,000 patients and identified four health 'patterns' that can progress step-by-step towards Alzheimer's. Mental health issues, brain dysfunction conditions, gradual cognitive decline and even cardiovascular conditions have been found to progress in a trajectory towards Alzheimer's. These four 'pathways' can progress into the eventual development of the disease, rather than any one specific health condition. According to Alzheimer's Scotland, around around 90,000 people in the country have dementia- an umbrella term for a group of symptoms that impair brain function. It is estimated that 66 per cent of those in Scotland with dementia have Alzheimer's disease. Improving diagnosis and prevention is crucial for the quality of life of those with the condition, and catching it early can also make treatment more effective. Now the latest scientific findings could bring experts one step closer to doing just that. While previous research examined individual risk factors for Alzheimer's, the new study, published in the journal eBioMedicine, suggests that focusing on patients with any conditions in one of these four categories may make it easier to identify those who are at a high-risk of developing Alzheimer's. "We found that multi-step trajectories can indicate greater risk factors for Alzheimer's disease than single conditions," said first author Mingzhou Fu, a medical informatics pre-doctoral student at UCLA. "Understanding these pathways could fundamentally change how we approach early detection and prevention." The four specific pathways to Alzheimer's detected by the study were: Mental health pathway: Psychiatric conditions leading to cognitive decline Encephalopathy pathway: Brain dysfunction conditions that escalate over time Mild cognitive impairment pathway: Gradual cognitive decline progression Vascular disease pathway: Cardiovascular conditions that contribute to dementia risk "Recognising these sequential patterns rather than focusing on diagnoses in isolation may help clinicians improve Alzheimer's disease diagnosis," said lead author Dr. Timothy Chang, assistant professor in Neurology at UCLA Health. The researchers also believe prevention can be significantly improved using their findings. The study showed that by examining the four discovered trajectories, Alzheimer's disease risk was identified more accurately than the diagnosis of single conditions alone. It is thought that healthcare providers could use these trajectory patterns to identify high-risk patients earlier in disease progression, and interrupt the patterns early, before they advance into Alzheimer's. For example, high blood pressure in patients often preceded depressive episodes in the study, which then increased Alzheimer's risk. By treating cardiovascular patients early, the pattern of development into Alzheimer's could be disrupted, improving overall prevention. Prevention of Alzheimer's could also become more personalised using the findings, as strategies can be tailored based on an individual pathway patterns. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
