Could anemia increase the risk of developing dementia?

• Anemia is a common blood condition characterized by a lack of healthy red blood cells in the body.
• A recent study examined how anemia may relate to dementia risk.
• The study results indicated that having anemia was associated with greater levels of blood biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease and with an increased risk for dementia over time.

Anemia occurs when there is a low level of healthy red blood cells, and it has been linked to a number of chronic illnesses such as kidney failure, autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis and lupus), and inflammatory bowel disease like Crohn’s. Recently, scientists wanted to see if anemia had a link to dementia.

In a study published in JAMA Network Open, researchers examined data from over 2,200 adults and found that those with anemia had more biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease.

In the long term, they observed that having anemia was associated with a higher risk of developing dementia. The participants who had the highest risk for dementia were those who had both anemia and higher levels of Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers.