Rare dementia linked to sleep disorder

A new scientific study has shown that a sleep disorder can increase a person's risk of developing dementia.

According to an article published in the Neurology journal, researchers have established that people who experience rapid eye movement behavioural disorder (RBD) have a 63 per cent chance of developing dementia with Lewy bodies at some stages of their life.

Lewy body dementia is a rare form of the disease which only comprises around four per cent of all cases, according to the Alzheimer's Society, which makes these results all the more surprising.

The charity's acting chief executive Ruther Sutherland said the research helps to further understanding of how Lewy body dementia develops.

"However we don't yet understand why this correlation exists, and given the small sample size of this study, more research is needed," she added.

According to the Alzheimer's Research Trust, there are more than 820,000 people in the UK living with dementia.

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