Certain health conditions may predict Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia years before diagnosis

Depression, erectile dysfunction, gait abnormalities, hearing loss, and nervous/musculoskeletal symptoms are consistently associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) at least 5 years before diagnosis.
Depression and hearing loss were also consistently associated with vascular dementia (VaD), along with abnormal EKG, cardiac dysrhythmias, cerebrovascular disease, and non-epithelial skin cancer.
The authors concluded that certain health conditions can be associated with AD and VaD at least five years prior to diagnosis. Prompt treatment of AD and VaD associated risk factors could lessen disease burden in the aging population.