Gaby
A new international study has implications not only for people with mental disorders but also for their caregivers.
Researchers found that age, sex, irregular heart rhythms, and daily activity levels were the strongest predictors of cognitive decline.
The team noted that even in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, cognitive impairments were best predicted by a combination of patients’ demographic, medical, and functional factors.
Over two years, the researchers monitored a group of individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, starting with 500 patients. However, the dropout rate was quite high: by the end of the two-year period, only 169 participants remained in the study.
The researchers recorded data on numerous demographic, medical, and functional factors, including the presence of pain, depression, and neuropsychiatric symptoms.
Indicators of cognitive decline were present in all participants. The researchers found that older age, being female, atrial fibrillation (an irregular heart rhythm), and difficulties with daily activities were the strongest predictors of cognitive decline.
These four predictors, identified at the beginning of the study, accounted for approximately 14 percent of the variance in cognitive functions among patients in the final quarter of the two-year research period.
The scientists pointed out that the disease burden affects more than just patients: Science Alert reported that caregiver strain increased as patients’ cognitive abilities declined.
While some variables, such as smoking and alcohol consumption, were not included, the results are robust enough to suggest that the four identified factors are sufficient to predict rapid cognitive decline caused by Alzheimer’s disease.
With each study, researchers are becoming increasingly accurate in forecasting how Alzheimer’s disease may progress. Recently developed methodologies use brain scans and specific biomarkers to predict cognitive decline over a five-year period.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting tens of millions of people worldwide, and this number continues to rise due to an aging population. Therefore, such research helps in finding new, effective treatments and support methods for patients.
“These results emphasize the importance of a comprehensive approach to treatment that considers both the characteristics of the patient and the caregiver,” the researchers wrote in their report.
The findings of the study were published in the journal PLOS ONE.
