Calculate your risk of dementia or stroke with this calculator

Dementia and stroke often have devastating consequences, so patients want to know what they can do to protect themselves against these diseases.

A team of clinicians in partnership with patients developed a Brain Care Score (BCS) based on modifiable risk factors identified in past epidemiological studies. In the BCS, weights are assigned to four physical components (i.e., blood pressure, glycosylated hemoglobin, cholesterol, and body-mass index), to five lifestyle elements (i.e., nutrition, alcohol intake, smoking, aerobic activities, and sleep), and to three social factors (i.e., stress, relationships, and purpose in life). Lower scores on the BCS (range, 0–19) predict higher risk.

The team validated whether the BCS predicted new dementia or stroke in the U.K. Biobank cohort.

During average follow-up of nearly 13 years, new dementia or stroke occurred in ≈3% of the cohort. The BCS identified people who were at highest risk for these outcomes.

This score could be computed automatically from information already in electronic health records and used to identify risk factors and to engage patients in modifying those risk factors.

More information in Front. Neurol., 01 December 2023 Volume 14 - 2023 https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2023.1291020