Impact of Pneumonia on Cognitive Aging : A Longitudinal Propensity-Matched Cohort Study 

• Background: Acute clinical events, such as pneumonia, may impact physical functionality but their effect on cognition and the possible duration of this effect remains to be quantified. This study investigated the impact of pneumonia on cognitive trajectories and dementia development in older people.Methods: Data were obtained from 60+ years old individuals, who were assessed from 2001 to 2018 in the population-based SNAC-K study (Sweden). Participants were eligible if they were not institutionalized, had no dementia, and did not experience pneumonia 5 years prior to baseline (N = 2 063). A propensity score was derived to match 1:3 participants hospitalized with a diagnosis of pneumonia (N = 178), to nonexposed participants (N = 534). Mixed linear models were used to model cognitive decline. The hazard of dementia, clinically diagnosed by physicians following Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-IV, was estimated using Cox regression models.Results: We found a transient impact of pneumonia on cognitive decline in the first 2.5 years (B = −0.94, 95% confidence interval [CI] −1.75, −0.15). The hazard ratio (HR) for dementia was not statistically significantly increased in pneumonia participants (HR = 1.17, 95%CI 0.82, 1.66).Conclusions: The transient impact of pneumonia on cognitive function suggests an increased need of health care for patients after a pneumonia-related hospitalization and reinforces the relevance of pneumonia prevention.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Annan medicin och hälsovetenskap -- Gerontologi, medicinsk/hälsovetenskaplig inriktning (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Other Medical and Health Sciences -- Gerontology, specialising in Medical and Health Sciences (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Cognitive decline

Cohort study

Dementia

Pneumonia

Propensity score

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)