Articles

Urinary Tract Infections as a Trigger for Dementia Progression

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Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the infections that occur most frequently among the elderly and are now increasingly recognized as a significant factor in the causation of cognitive decline, particularly among those who had previously experienced dementia. This broad review focuses on epidemiological evidence, underlying pathophysiological mechanisms, and clinical consequences for examining the complex interrelationship between UTIs and dementia. Frequent UTIs have been shown to worsen the symptoms of dementia and accelerate cognitive deterioration due to the induction of systemic inflammation, neuro-inflammation, and disturbances of the blood-brain barrier. Delayed treatment due to diagnostic difficulties in the elderly further exacerbates cognitive effects. Preventive measures associated with alleviation of UTI-related cognitive burden include early detection, efficient management of UTI, and techniques reducing inflammation. It thus emphasizes on integrating multidisciplinary approaches as an improvement pathway towards better results in this highly vulnerable population.

The Correlation between Breakfast Consumption and the Probability of Developing Alzheimer’s Disease in Bangkok Population

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Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common form of dementia, is known to be widely prevalent in the worldwide population, including Thailand. The incidence of this illness in Thailand is increasing rapidly and is expected to reach a million by 2030 (Doungkaew & Taneepanichskul, 2014). We are concerned that this rise is caused by the trend during these modern days, where skipping breakfast is becoming more popular due to time constraints. Hence, we conducted a survey research by providing questionnaires to 180 individuals of all ages across Bangkok, asking for their frequency in consuming breakfast per week and their likelihood in having Alzheimer’s. This was done through an online platform, Google Form. To test whether the two aforementioned variables are correlated with one another, Statistical Product and Service Solution (SPSS) program version 29 was used for data analysis. One-Way ANOVA (F-test) was used to determine the significance between age group and the risk of getting Alzheimer’s. The result showed that age is a significant factor which can promote the illness. Age 41 and above tend to have a stronger probability in developing the disease because of the easier spread of a protein called tau-protein, which is involved in causing Alzheimer’s disease (Wegmann et al., 2019). Pearson’s correlation test has shown that there is a negative correlation between the frequency of breakfast consumption and the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. This is likely due to  low blood sugar levels and lack of beneficial nutrients contained in breakfast . In the future, we hope that this research could be beneficial to other people by raising awareness on this particular topic regarding the importance of frequency of breakfast consumption in reducing the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.