Scientists have revealed an early warning sign of dementia could be spotted in the face. A new study found wrinkles and general facial ageing was more prevalent in people with cognitive decline.
And those with crow’s feet, which are fine lines around the edges of the eyes, had a 2.5-fold increased risk of dementia. Researchers from China said: “Facial ageing, both subjective and objective, may be an indicator of cognitive decline and dementia risk in older adults.
“We found that high perceived facial age was associated with high risk of cognitive impairment and dementia.” As part of the two-part study, which was published in the Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy journal, the team analysed data on 200,000 men and women.
As reported by the Mail Online, those with an average age of 64 were tracked for 12 years, during the first part of the study. They were asked if people told them they looked facially younger or older, or their right age.
Over that time period, there were around 6,000 recorded cases of dementia in the group. Those perceived as looking older than their age were 61 percent more likely to have developed the condition.
They were also 23 percent more likely to have developed Alzheimer’s disease and 74 percent more likely to have “unspecified” types of dementia. For part two of the study the researchers photographed 612 participants with an average age of 63.
These photos were analysed by computers looking for age indicators. This showed that crow’s feet were linked with cognitive impairment, and people with more of these wrinkles were 2.5 times more likely to have impairment.
While it is not known exactly what the association is between facial ageing and dementia, one of the theories is that too much sun could have adverse effects for both skin and cognitive health. According to the researchers, previous animal studies suggested that skin ageing induced by ultraviolet, which comes from the sun, could affect the neuro-immune system that protects brain cells.
The researchers concluded: “Among people at older ages, low self-perceived facial age was prospectively associated with lower risk of dementia in the UK Biobank [the first data-set used]. Additionally, objective skin features and perceived age based on assessors were also cross-sectionally associated with cognitive impairment in the Nutrition and Health of Aging Population in China Project [the second data-set used].
“Facial age (both subjective/perceived and objective) could serve as an indicator and applied into screening strategies for identifying and treating risk population of cognitive decline or dementia in early intervention for older adults. Further investigations regarding objective facial age or facial skin parameters and dementia risk are warranted and new tools in early detection of dementia through faces should be developed.”
The NHS lists symptoms of dementia as:
- Memory loss
- Difficulty concentrating
- Finding it hard to carry out familiar daily tasks, such as getting confused over the correct change when shopping
- Struggling to follow a conversation or find the right word
- Being confused about time and place
- Mood changes
If you or someone you know experiences symptoms, you should speak to a doctor.