A Hidden Risk You Can’t Feel

Are you caring for a loved one with dementia? You don't have to figure this out all on your own. Welcome to Truth, Lies Alzheimer's, the show that helps you reimagine a new relationship with your loved one, a relationship a little more free of stress and anxiety. Join host Lisa Skinner and her 30+ years of experience as she guides you on a new path to a better relationship with those you care for. Here's Lisa.

Hello everybody, and welcome to another new episode of The Truth, Lies Alzheimer's Show. I'm Lisa Skinner, your host. I learned something really interesting recently that I'm going to share with you today. Did you know that there's a silent brain condition that actually can quadruple our risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and dementia? We can't feel it. Most people don't know they have it. It's called cerebral amyloid angiopathy, and it shows up early and predicts who's going to develop dementia within 5 years. This was just published, a study of nearly 2 million older adults. Cerebral amyloid angiopathy is when amyloid proteins build up in brain blood vessels instead of the brain tissue. So what happens is it weakens the vessel walls and increases our stroke risk and dramatically increases our dementia risk. Even without history of strokes, within 5 years of a diagnosis, people with this condition were 4 times more likely to develop dementia than those without it. The increased risk was present whether or not they'd ever had a stroke. And that matters because we've always thought the stroke was the problem. Well, it turns out the vascular amyloid itself drives cognitive decline independently. So here's why this changes things. I guess we can call it a game changer. We detect this on standard brain imaging. MRIs show microbleeds, white matter changes, and cortical superficial siderosis. Cerebral amyloid angiopathy and 5-year dementia risk in older adults. These are visible markers of cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Most radiologists mention them in reports. Most doctors ignore them, but we shouldn't. If someone has these findings, they need aggressive vascular risk management and close cognitive monitoring. Not just a follow-up as needed. We've all heard that before. So the problem is that there's no treatment that specifically targets cerebral amyloid angiopathy yet, but we can manage what we know increases risk. We can manage our blood pressure, our diabetes, our cholesterol, and our lifestyle factors. And we can screen for cognitive changes early when interventions still work. So now I am going to share some real news that hopefully you can use And this is also extremely interesting.

This—

the title of this article is called "Can Alzheimer's Cause Pain and How to Recognize It." Pain is more common in Alzheimer's than many of us realize. Between 60 and 80% of individuals with dementia regularly experience pain. Yet it often goes unnoticed, partly because communication becomes harder as the disease progresses. So what can we do? Well, limited mobility can trigger this discomfort. So reduced activity may result in stiffness, sore joints, and contractures— rigid areas of tissue that restrict movement. And cause pain. Additionally, previously healed injuries like a hip or knee damage can flare up when we don't use our muscles. Chronic pain may be linked to Alzheimer's itself. Ongoing pain— and the definition of that is lasting over 3 months— may relate to Alzheimer's-related cognitive changes. The disease can impair parts of our brains responsible for processing and regulating pain, specifically regions tied to the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, which helps send pain signals. Other medical issues, especially urinary tract infections, can contribute. Infections like UTIs are common in older adults and may also cause pain. Such as burning when urinating, pelvic discomfort, lower back pain, and abdominal pain. Untreated, these infections can accelerate cognitive decline and should be addressed promptly. So why does this matter for caregivers? Simple. People with Alzheimer's disease often can't express discomfort clearly. Misinterpreting signs of pain like restlessness, irritability, or aggression can lead to delays in providing relief. So recognizing the possible underlying causes is vital to offering appropriate care and improving quality of life. And thank you to Dr. Risa Gomi for this very fascinating and informative article. So that's going to wrap it up for today's episode of the Truth, Lies Alzheimer's Show. I'm Lisa Skinner, your host, and of course I'll be back next week with another brand new episode for you. So as always, I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week. And that you stay happy and healthy, and I'll see you back next week, same time, same place. Bye for now.

Thank you for listening to Truth, Lies Alzheimer's. We hope you found something in today's episode that helps. We understand that caring for a loved one with dementia can be the challenge of a lifetime, but you that you don't have to do it alone. If you're ready for exclusive access to even more great content and resources, head on over to Facebook and join Lisa Skinner's Minding Dementia support group. We're a community of like-minded caregivers, and we're here to help.