alzh soc uk - Anaesthesia increases the risk of dementia, says study

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http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/news_article.php?newsID=1618

Anaesthesia increases the risk of dementia, says study

Published 31 May 2013

Exposure to general anaesthesia increases the risk of dementia in the elderly by 35 per cent, according to new research.

It is being presented at Euroanaesthesia, the annual congress of the European Society of Anaesthesiology (ESA), in Barcelona.

Dr Doug Brown, Director of Research at Alzheimer's Society, said:

'The early results from this study support the view that anaesthesia may increaserisk of developing dementia but questions still remain about why this is the case and whether other factors could also have a role to play.

'As there is rarely an alternative to the use of anaesthetics in people who need them, we need more research to understand why this happens and how we can combat it. One in three people over the age of 65 will develop dementia. It is vital we continue funding research to find ways of reducing the risk and ultimately prevent the condition from developing.'

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