Low Education, Menial Jobs Linked to Alzheimer’s Risk, Study Indicates

People with low levels of education and menial jobs may run a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, for reasons that are not fully understood, researchers reported Tuesday.

It may be that poor education makes it easier to detect the disease in tests used to find it, the study from Columbia University said, or it may be that brighter people have an intellectual “reserve” that somehow hides the development of the incurable condition longer.

“Our findings suggest that educational and occupational attainment can influence the risk of Alzheimer’s disease,” said the report, which was published in this week’s Journal of the American Medical Assn.

“When these two aspects of life experience were considered simultaneously, the risk of dementia was highest for people with both low education and low occupation,” the report said.

The finding was based on a study of 593 people in New York City’s Washington Heights and Inwood communities.

The disease affects the brain. Forgetfulness and memory loss lead to a vegetative state. It strikes from 7% to 8% of those older than 65, with the rate reaching 25% for those who live to their mid-80s.