Study: Stress of Caring for Alzheimer Patients Ups Health Risks for Caregivers

Caring for an Alzheimer's patient for a long period not only creates stress but can prematurely age the caregiver's immune system, increasing that person's risk of developing a variety of age-related diseases, according to researchers.

Their six-year study, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that caregivers under the most stress become at increased risk themselves of cardiovascular disease, arthritis, periodontal disease, frailty and diabetes.

''Caregivers are often called the second victims of Alzheimer's,'' said Dr. Janice K. Kiecolt-Glaserthe of Ohio State University.

In their study, the researchers compared 119 seniors who were caring for a spouse with Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia to 106 senior citizens who didn't have to care for a chronically ill spouse.

Over the course of six years, the researchers took blood samples from participants and measured the levels of a naturally produced immune chemical called interleukin-6, or IL-6, which increases as people age.

"Statistical analyses showed a more rapid increase in IL-6 level for the caregiver group than for the non-caregiver group, such that the average rate of increase was about four times greater in the caregiver group," said Dr. Robert C. MacCallum of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Caregivers, who had an average age of 70 at the time of the study, had IL-6 levels typical of the average 90-year-old, the researchers reported. African-American caregivers in the study had the highest IL-6 levels.

Other sources: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences