1.9 Your family’s risk of dementia

Different types of dementia have different risks for passing the disease onto your children or grandchildren. In general, the majority of dementias are not inherited. There are rare types of dementia where there is a strong genetic link.

Alzheimer’s Disease

For people aged 60-70 years the general risk for getting dementia is around 2-4%. If you have a parent with Alzheimer’s, your risk will double to less than 8%. For people aged 70-80 years, the general risk of dementia is around 10%. If their parent had dementia that risk increases to about 20%. Before you panic, know there are things you can do to lower the risk. Lifestyle factors such as not smoking, eating a heart-healthy diet, regular exercise, controlling blood pressure, blood cholesterol and/or diabetes, correcting any hearing loss, keeping your brain active, and having good social connections can all lower your risk.

Vascular dementia

In most cases vascular dementia is not inherited. However, diseases that contribute to poor vascular health like diabetes or high blood pressure may, in part, be inherited. You can lower your risk by maintaining a healthy lifestyle and managing your vascular risk with your GP.

Fronto-Temporal Dementia

Around about 30-40% of people with fronto-temporal dementia will have a family history of this type of dementia. In a small number of cases, around 10-15%, there is a genetic mutation which can be passed on. There are many different types of fronto-temporal dementia and different genes are associated with different types. If you are concerned it is best to talk with your GP who can advise about genetic testing.

Young-Onset Dementia

Dementia most commonly affects older people, and we know the risk of getting dementia increases with age. A small proportion, around 6% of all people with dementia, will develop the condition in their 50s or 60s and this is called young-onset dementia. You can read about heritability here