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Anemia increased risk for dementia in older adults
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Older adults with anemia were at significantly increased risk for dementia, according to study results published in Neurology.
Approximately 23% of adults aged 65 and older develop anemia, and prior research has suggested the condition is associated with an increased risk for early death, according to background information provided in the study.
Kristine Yaffe
Kristine Yaffe, MD, professor of psychiatry, neurology and epidemiology at the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues evaluated 2,552 adults (51.8% women; 38.9% black) enrolled in the Health, Aging and Body Composition study. The participants ranged in age from 70 to 79 years (mean, 76.1 years).
At baseline, none of the participants had dementia and 392 (15.4%) had anemia, defined as hemoglobin concentration of <13 g/dL for men and <12 g/dL for women.
During 11 years of follow-up, participants underwent a series of memory and thinking tests. Researchers monitored changes in Modified Mini-Mental State scores, as well as participants' hospital records and medication use, to determine dementia diagnosis.
Overall, 455 participants (17.8%) developed dementia during 11 years of follow-up.
Unadjusted results showed individuals who had anemia at baseline were at significantly increased risk for dementia (23% vs. 17%; HR=1.64; 95% CI, 1.30-2.07).
The association between anemia and risk for dementia remained significant after researchers adjusted for several factors, including demographics, baseline Modified Mini-Mental State score, comorbidities and renal function. Adjustments for other measures — such as red cell distribution width, mean corpuscular volume, C-reactive protein and erythropoietin — did not significantly affect the results.
Researchers observed no association between the participants' sex or race and their risk for dementia.
The results suggest additional study of anemia as a risk factor for dementia — as well as a target for cognitive health intervention — is warranted, Yaffe and colleagues concluded.
“There are several explanations for why anemia may be linked to dementia,” Yaffe said in a press release. “Anemia may be a marker for poor health in general, or low oxygen levels resulting from anemia may play a role in the connection. Reductions in oxygen to the brain have been shown to reduce memory and thinking abilities and may contribute to damage to neurons.”
Disclosure: Researchers report funding from the National Institute on Aging and the American Health Assistance Foundation.
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