Lebanese Ministry of Information
A simple blood test could predict a person’s risk of major diseases, such as cancer or dementia, by identifying which organs are ageing at different rates, a new study has found.
Researchers from the University College London (UCL) were able to show that accelerated organ ageing predicted the risk of 30 different diseases over a 20-year period in people who were initially regarded as healthy.
For example, a heart that aged more rapidly predicted significantly increased risk of heart diseases, while people with accelerated lung ageing were more likely to suffer respiratory infections, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and lung cancer years later.
In an unexpected twist, the highest risk of dementia was found in people whose immune system aged faster than usual – not in people whose brains aged more rapidly in midlife.
The scientists said this supports earlier work which found people prone to severe infections are also at higher risk for dementia later in life.
The finding further suggests that inflammatory processes may play a key role in the development of neurodegenerative diseases, they said.
Kidney health was also found to be linked to other organs, with people with accelerated kidney ageing more likely to later develop vascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and liver diseases.
Meanwhile, biological ageing of nearly all organs predicted an increased risk of kidney disease….
The Independent
