Risk of dementia in patients with age-related medical conditions: a retrospective cohort study

Abstract

Objective: This retrospective cohort study aimed to investigate the impact of age-related medical conditions on the incidence of dementia, considering factors such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cerebrovascular disease, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and hearing difficulties.

Methods: Data from 513 640 patients at Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital were analyzed using the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership Common Data Model. Patients with and without age-related medical conditions were assigned to experimental and control groups, respectively, with propensity score matching. Cox proportional hazards models assessed the association between each condition and dementia incidence.

Results: Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cerebrovascular disease, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and hearing difficulties were associated with increased dementia risk. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease showed no significant association with increased risk of dementia. Incidence rates ranged from 4.52 to 8.05 per 1000 person-years in the control group and 7.46 to 14.99 per 1000 person-years in the experimental group. Hazard ratios ranged from 1.38 to 2.36.

Conclusions: The study highlights the importance of managing age-related medical conditions to mitigate dementia risk. Understanding these risk factors can inform preventive strategies and improve cognitive health outcomes. Problems with deidentification data analysis and the need for further multicentred studies are among the limitations of this study.