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Using Retinal Imaging to Study Dementia
Published on: November 6, 2017
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Exposure to Genocide and the Risk of Dementia
Arad Kodesh1,2, Itzhak Levav1, Stephen Z Levine1
1Department of Community Mental Health, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
Journal of Traumatic Stress
|June 18, 2019
Summary
Exposure to the European Holocaust significantly increases dementia risk later in life. This study found Holocaust survivors had a higher incidence of dementia compared to unexposed individuals, highlighting genocide
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Epidemiology
- Psychotraumatology
Background:
- Conflicting theories exist regarding the impact of past genocide exposure on dementia risk: resilience versus heightened vulnerability.
- Empirical evidence directly testing these hypotheses in relation to dementia risk remains limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between exposure to the European Holocaust and the subsequent risk of developing dementia.
- To empirically test whether genocide exposure increases or decreases dementia risk in later life.
Main Methods:
- A cohort study utilizing registry data from 51,752 Israeli residents born between 1901-1945.
- Participants were classified as exposed or unexposed to the European Holocaust, with follow-up for dementia diagnosis from 2013-2017.
- Cox regression models were employed to calculate Hazard Ratios (HRs), adjusting for covariates, with 12 sensitivity analyses performed.
Main Results:
- Holocaust-exposed individuals (n=10,780) exhibited higher dementia rates (16.5%) compared to unexposed individuals (9.3%).
- The adjusted Hazard Ratio for dementia in the exposed group was 1.21 (95% CI [1.15, 1.28]), indicating increased risk.
- Sensitivity analyses consistently supported the primary findings, with adjusted HRs ranging from 1.18-1.28 (all p < .001).
Conclusions:
- The study supports the hypothesis that exposure to extreme adversity, such as the Holocaust, heightens vulnerability to dementia.
- Findings underscore the long-term neurobiological and psychological sequelae of genocide exposure.
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