Alzheimer’s May Develop Through Four Key Health Pathways: Study

New Delhi: A new study has identified four distinct clusters of symptoms that may progressively lead to Alzheimer’s disease, offering important insights into how the condition could develop over time. Published in the journal eBioMedicine, part of The Lancet Discovery Science, the study was conducted by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

The research analysed medical records from the University of California Health Data Warehouse, involving over 5,700 patients. From this data, the team discovered nearly 6,800 unique health progression sequences referred to as "pathways" that appeared to lead to Alzheimer’s disease.

“We found that multi-step trajectories can indicate greater risk factors for Alzheimer's disease than single conditions,” said first author Mingzhou Fu, a medical informatics pre-doctoral student at UCLA. “Understanding these pathways could fundamentally change how we approach early detection and prevention.”

The study identified four main trajectory clusters: mental health, encephalopathy, mild cognitive impairment, and vascular disease. Among them, the encephalopathy pathway was found to be the most aggressive, often leading to Alzheimer’s and death more quickly than others. This cluster included symptoms linked to brain dysfunction, with earlier stages involving cerebrovascular conditions and urinary diseases.

The mental health cluster, also known as the "mental health pathway," was centred on depressive episodes. Researchers noted that conditions such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and intestinal disorders often preceded depression, increasing the likelihood of progression to Alzheimer’s.

The mild cognitive impairment pathway involved difficulties with memory and other thought processes. Interestingly, earlier signs associated with this progression included menopause and male erectile dysfunction. The vascular disease pathway involved conditions affecting blood flow to the brain, including stroke and neurological issues. Chronic pain and joint or soft tissue disorders often appeared in earlier stages of this pathway.

“Recognising these sequential patterns rather than focusing on diagnoses in isolation may help clinicians improve Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis,” said lead author Timothy Chang, assistant professor of neurology at UCLA.

The study also highlighted that around 26 percent of the identified health progressions followed consistent sequences. For example, hypertension frequently preceded depressive episodes, which in turn raised the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

The findings underscore the importance of understanding symptom progression over time, which may help in early identification and potentially delaying the onset of Alzheimer's disease through targeted intervention.

(With inputs from PTI)