Some blood-cell mutations linked to higher dementia risk
Mutations in two genes were linked to dementia, with adjusted hazard ratios of 1.14 and 1.29—relative measures of risk over time.
Limit: Participants with cardiovascular disease showed no increased dementia risk from these mutations
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
An observational study examined 494,866 UK Biobank participants, with an average age of 56.4 years, who had no dementia at enrollment. Researchers studied clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential, a condition involving the expansion of blood cells carrying shared mutations. They assessed whether mutations in particular genes were associated with later dementia.
Over a median follow-up of 15.7 years, mutations in two genes, DNMT3A and ASXL1, were associated with higher dementia risk. Their adjusted hazard ratios were 1.14 and 1.29, respectively. The association between clonal hematopoiesis and dementia was statistically significant among participants without cardiovascular disease. Among participants with cardiovascular disease, the association was not statistically significant.
Why it matters
Dementia is an age-related disease. The study addressed whether blood-cell mutations might help identify people at risk, including those without cardiovascular disease.
Caveats
This observational study cannot establish cause and effect, and its findings do not necessarily apply to people who already have dementia.
- Dementia
- Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential
- Cardiovascular disease
- Atrial fibrillation
- Coronary artery disease
- Humans
The paper
Gene-specific clonal hematopoiesis and incident dementia according to cardiovascular disease
Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital; Yonsei University
ESC Congress 2026 Abstract, Oct 26, 2026
Presented at ESC Congress 2026
