According to a new study published in the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, Alzheimer patients have a higher risk of death if they are suffering from hypertension and diabetes as compared with Alzheimer patients who are not.

Alzheimer’s is often called the disease that claims two lives: that of the patient and of the loved one who takes care of them. Such caregiving is a 24-hour-a-day job.

323 people were selected for the study. They were then tested and did not show any memory problems. Every 18 months the participants underwent physical and memory test.

According to Yaakov Stern, author of the study and director of the Cognitive Neuroscience Division of Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center at Columbia University Medical Center in New York two factors namely high BP and Diabetes can drastically reduce the life span of Alzheimer patients.

As per the study Alzheimer patients average life span is anywhere between 3 to 9 years.

Alzheimer patients with diabetes had a higher change of death by up to 2 times as compared with Alzheimer patients without diabetes. Alzheimer patients with high blood pressure were 2.5 times more at risk of dying as compared with Alzheimer patients without high blood pressure.