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The lifetime accumulation of multimorbidity and its influence on dementia risk: a UK Biobank study
Raihaan Patel, Grace Gillis, Clare E. Mackay, Ludovica Griffanti, Congxiyu Wang, Klaus P. Ebmeier, Sana Suri. Brain Communications, 2025-01-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
The number of people living with dementia worldwide is projected to reach 150 million by 2050, making prevention a crucial priority for health services. The co-occurrence of two or more chronic health conditions, termed multimorbidity, occurs in up to 80% of dementia patients, making multimorbidity an important risk factor for dementia. However, we lack an understanding of the specific health conditions, and their age of onset, that drive the link between multimorbidity and dementia. Using data from 282 712 participants of the UK Biobank, we defined the sequential patterns of accumulation of 46 chronic conditions over the life course. By grouping individuals based on their life history of chronic illness, we show here that the risk of incident dementia can be stratified by both the type and timing of their accumulated chronic conditions. We identified several distinct clusters of multimorbidity throughout the lifespan (cardiometabolic, mental health, neurovascular, peripheral vascular, eye diseases and low/no multimorbidity). We observed that the odds of developing dementia varied based on when these comorbidities were diagnosed. Until midlife (age 55), the accumulation of cardiometabolic conditions, such as coronary heart disease, atrial fibrillation, and diabetes, was most strongly associated with dementia risk. However, from 55 to 70 years, the accumulation of mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression, as well as neurovascular conditions, such as stroke and transient ischaemic attack, was associated with an over 2-fold increase in dementia risk compared with low multimorbidity. Importantly, individuals who continuously and sequentially accumulate cardiometabolic, mental health, and neurovascular conditions were at greatest risk. The age-dependent role of multimorbidity in predicting dementia risk could be used for early stratification of individuals into high- and low-risk groups and could inform targeted prevention strategies based on a person's prior history of chronic disease.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Patel, R., Gillis, G., Mackay, C. E., Griffanti, L., Wang, C., Ebmeier, K. P., et al. (2025). The lifetime accumulation of multimorbidity and its influence on dementia risk: a UK Biobank study. Brain Communications. https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcaf222
Vancouver
Patel R, Gillis G, Mackay CE, Griffanti L, Wang C, Ebmeier KP, et al. The lifetime accumulation of multimorbidity and its influence on dementia risk: a UK Biobank study. Brain Communications. 2025. doi:10.1093/braincomms/fcaf222. PMID: 40672935.
BibTeX
@article{patel2025-40672935,
author = {Patel, Raihaan and Gillis, Grace and Mackay, Clare E. and Griffanti, Ludovica and Wang, Congxiyu and Ebmeier, Klaus P. and Suri, Sana},
title = {{The lifetime accumulation of multimorbidity and its influence on dementia risk: a UK Biobank study}},
journal = {Brain Communications},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1093/braincomms/fcaf222},
pmid = {40672935},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcaf222}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 7 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- We observed that the odds of developing dementia varied based on when these comorbidities were diagnosed.
- Until midlife (age 55), the accumulation of cardiometabolic conditions, such as coronary heart disease, atrial fibrillation, and diabetes, was most strongly associated with dementia risk.
- However, from 55 to 70 years, the accumulation of mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression, as well as neurovascular conditions, such as stroke and transient ischaemic attack, was associated with an over 2-fold increase in dementia risk compared with low multimorbidity.
Why it matters
In 282,712 UK Biobank participants, the risk of dementia varied with the type and timing of chronic conditions accumulated over life: cardiometabolic conditions before age 55, and mental health and neurovascular conditions from 55 to 70, were most strongly linked to dementia risk. This identifies possible risk factors and windows for prevention but does not test any intervention.
Study details
- Participants712
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 46/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Brain Communications) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | Brain Communications: journal h-index 67 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 712 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 2 / 7 | Cited 10 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 3.3 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 6.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 10 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Sana Suri: h-index 29 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of Oxford: institution h-index 2,205 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40672935) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 46 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcaf222
- PubMed: 40672935
- Original source →
- Free full text: Brain Communications →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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