Memory Lapses in Educated People could Indicate Impending Stroke

A new study has warned that highly educated people suffering memory lapses are at an increased risk of stroke.

The study involving 9,152 participants found that those with higher education were at a 39 percent higher risk of stroke within the next 12 years if they suffered memory lapses that hindered their daily functioning, Reuters reported. Higher education was defined as university education or advanced vocation training.

"Persons with cognitive impairment, as assessed by cognitive tests, are at a higher risk of stroke. Subjective memory complaints might be an earlier marker for stroke, especially in persons with higher education. Their cognitive reserve might mask their cognitive impairment during cognitive testing. In a population-based setting, we investigated the association between subjective memory complaints and stroke," researchers wrote in the journal Stroke.

Participants in the study answered questions between 1990-1993 and 2000-2001 about memory complaints and also underwent a mental assessment. They were followed till 2012.

According to BBC, the appearance of symptoms of dementia or memory can take longer to appear in educated people as education helps people build a cognitive reserve which fights dementia.

Arfan Ikram at Erasmus University was quoted saying that brain damage can take longer to occur in educated people.

"But if these people start complaining about their memory, then the reserve mechanism is gone. This can be an indicator they have reached an advanced stage, when the cognitive reserve is not compensating any more," he said.

During the study, there were 1,134 strokes of which 99 were hemorrhagic and 663 were ischemic.