Alzheimer's and the symptom in your nose that could be linked to memory decline

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia in the UK, impacting thousands of people. The disease, which is most common in people over 65, causes ongoing decline of brain functioning - impacting memory, thinking skills and other mental abilities.

By 2050, more than 153 million people could have dementia, up from 57 million in 2019, researchers are warning in The Lancet Public Health journal.

The exact cause of Alzheimer's disease is not yet fully understood, although a number of factors are thought to increase your risk - including age, family history and lifestyle factors.

However, one line of research suggests that early signs of the disease may arise in the nose. Growing evidence suggests a poor sense of smell may be linked to declining memory in later life, according to the Express.Initial research stems from a 2016 study, published in the journal Annals of Neurology, which found that those who had trouble identifying scents like menthol, strawberry and lemon seemed to be at greater risk of Alzheimer’s disease.Doctor Isaacson, director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Centre, said: “When someone can’t distinguish between different smells, it may absolutely be a signal that Alzheimer’s disease is brewing.”In similar research published in the American Geriatrics Society, researchers followed a sample of 3,000 older people with normal cognition.All participants underwent a simple smell test to identify those at higher risk of dementia.The team found that participants who could not identify four out of five smells were twice as likely to have dementia five years later.What’s more, the degree of olfactory deficit correlated with the severity of dementia that