Hi, reddit! I’m Albert Hofman, Chair of the Department of Epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. I study the epidemiology of common neurologic and vascular diseases, in particular dementia and stroke. I have initiated and served as the principal investigator for two population-based, prospective cohort studies (the Rotterdam Study and the Generation R Study examining neurological, cardiovascular, and endocrine diseases. These studies harnessed new epidemiological tools, including the genome-wide assessment and large-scale imaging of whole cohorts, enabling researchers to study the interrelations of those diseases and their development.
According to the 2015 World Alzheimer Report, 46 million people worldwide are living with dementia—a number that is expected to triple by 2050. While those statistics are sobering, there is reason for optimism. Research has shown us that vascular factors are important causes of dementia and Alzheimer’s, and the good news is that these vascular factors can be influenced. You can do something about your risk for vascular diseases, by treating high blood pressure or high cholesterol, or by not smoking. We have actually seen a gradual decline in the incidence of dementia over the past decade, and I think it is because of those kinds of preventative interventions. There will be more people having dementia as they become older, because the population of older people in the world is increasing—but the incidence of dementia is not. Overall, the picture for Alzheimer’s is improving.
I’ll be here to answer your questions about Alzheimer’s disease from 11:30 AM-1:30 PM ET. Ask me anything!
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