Study Finds Gene Variant That Doubles Dementia Risk For Men

New Delhi: Australian researchers have identified a common genetic variant that doubles the risk of dementia in men. The team from Curtin University said that one in three people carry one copy of the variant, known as H63D, while one in 36 carry two copies. The research, published in the journal Neurology, found that men who carry a double H63D variant are twice as likely to develop dementia in their lifetime compared to women.

The study, based on 19,114 healthy older people in Australia and the US, investigated whether people who had variants in the hemochromatosis (HFE) gene, which is critical for regulating iron levels in the body, might be at increased risk of dementia.

"Having just one copy of this gene variant does not impact someone's health or increase their risk of dementia. However, having two copies of the variant more than doubled the risk of dementia in men, but not women," said Professor John Olynyk, from the Curtin Medical School.