Smoking is among dementia risk factors

Smoking, heart disease, and high blood pressure contribute to dementia but most people still regard the condition as a normal part of aging, a study shows.

Women are more informed than men, and better-educated people have higher levels of knowledge, according to research conducted at Trinity College Dublin and St James’s Hospital’s Dementia Services Centre.

In a review of 40 studies from 15 different countries including the North, published over the last 20 years, researchers at Trinity’s School of Social Work and Social Policy found the general public have a limited understanding of dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease.