Search

Spinal cord injury (SCI) can cause physical disability and psychological distress; however, whether SCI is a risk factor for dementia is unclear. This study evaluated the incidence of dementia in patients with SCI. Study participants were recruited from a nationwide cohort during 2004-2007 and categorized into SCI (patients diagnosed with SCI; n = 941) and non-SCI (age- and sex-matched controls; n = 5060) cohorts. Each participant was followed for 7 years until diagnosis of dementia or December 31, 2010, whichever occurred first. Data were subjected to Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses. The incidence of dementia was significantly higher in the SCI cohort (1106 per 100,000 person-years) than in the non-SCI cohort (p < 0.001). Patients with SCI had a significantly higher risk of dementia than did those without SCI (crude hazard ratio [HR] = 2.14, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.57-2.92, p < 0.001 vs. adjusted HR = 1.95, 95% CI, 1.43-2.67, p < 0.001). Further analysis found that there is no statistical significance of higher risk for developing Alzheimer's disease among SCI patients, but that SCI patients were at higher risk of developing other types of dementia than the control cohort (crude HR = 1.88, 95% CI, 1.33-2.63, p < 0.001 vs. adjusted HR = 1.90, 95% CI, 1.35-2.68, p < 0.001). In conclusion, patients with SCI are at high risk of dementia, and effective dementia prevention strategies are recommended for comprehensive SCI care.

Objective: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune disorder characterized by varied clinical symptoms and can be comorbid with neuropsychiatric disorders. However, the association between SLE and dementia risk in patients with SLE remains unclear. In this study, we evaluated the incidence of dementia in patients with SLE., Methods: Patients were recruited from a nationwide cohort in 2004-2008 and categorized as SLE (n = 1,074; patients diagnosed with SLE) or non-SLE (n = 5,370; age- and sex-matched controls). Each patient was followed for up to 7 years, until either receiving a diagnosis of dementia or until December 31, 2010. Data were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis., Results: The incidence rate of dementia was higher in the SLE cohort (357 per 100,000 person-years) than in the non-SLE cohort (180 per 100,000 person-years). Patients with SLE had a higher risk of dementia than did those without SLE (crude hazard ratio [HR] 1.92; P < 0.05). Cox regression analysis revealed an adjusted HR for dementia in the SLE cohort of 2.14 (P < 0.001), after adjustment for other comorbid diseases and variables., Conclusion: Patients with SLE have a higher risk of dementia., (© 2016, American College of Rheumatology.)

The impact of traumatic brain injury (TBI) on the pathogenic hazard ratio (HR) for dementia patients is still controversial. Some studies have supported the association between TBI and dementia, especially for Alzheimer's disease, and our study determined that the HR of dementia patients with and without a history of TBI or repeated TBI (RTBI). We determined the HR for dementia patients with a diagnosis of TBI (n = 12931) and a comparative cohort with age- and gender-matched controls (n = 51724) during 2004-2005, using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. The adjusted HR (HR = 3.21) for dementia patients with TBI showed that they were more likely to develop dementia than the comparison cohort. The HR for dementia patients with RTBI was increased to 3.62. The results of this large-scale study suggested that TBI increases dementia risk. Future studies using animal models and epidemiological databases could elucidate medical and biological mechanisms linking TBI and the development of dementia., (© 2016 APJPH.)

Background: To investigate the incidence and risk of hip fracture among dementia patients, Methods: This is a retrospective population-based 7-year cohort study using case-control matched analysis database from Taiwan's Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005. Patients were diagnosed with codes or International Classification of Diseases-9-CM codes of dementia, between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2006. The prevalence and the adjusted odds ratio of hip fracture among dementia patients and the controls were estimated., Results: We enrolled 3101 patients with dementia in the dementia cohort and 12,404 (1:4) patients in the control group. Of these, 202 patients experienced hip fractures. The incidence of hip fracture was 1178 per 100,000 person-years in the dementia cohort and 624 per 100,000 person-years in the comparison cohort. The hip fracture hazard ratio during the follow-up period was 1.89 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.60-2.23, p < 0.001) for dementia patients. After adjusting for the covariates, the hazard ratio of hip fracture was 1.41 (95% CI, 1.19-1.69, p < 0.001) for dementia patients., Conclusion: People with dementia experience an increased incidence of hip fracture and are at a higher risk of sustaining a hip fracture in the future. Proper and effective hip fracture-prevention strategies are essential for dementia patients., (Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Osteoarthritis (OA) and dementia are prevalent causes of disability in geriatric patients. To date, information on the temporal correlation between these progressive diseases and the risk of dementia in patients with OA is limited. This retrospective population-based 4-year cohort study investigated the risk of dementia in patients with OA. We performed a case-control matched analysis by using the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005. Patients were selected on the basis of International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes for OA between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2007. The prevalence and the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of dementia in patients with and without OA were estimated. The OA cohort comprised 35,149 patients and the non-OA cohort (comparison cohort) comprised 70,298 patients (1:2). The incidence of dementia was 21.7 per 10,000 person-years in the OA cohort and 14.7 per 10,000 person-years in the non-OA cohort. The HR for dementia during the follow-up period was 1.33 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.17-1.50, P < 0.001) for patients with OA. The adjusted HR for dementia was 1.25 (95% CI, 1.10-1.43, P < 0.001) for patients with OA. The results of this study indicated that OA is an independent risk factor for dementia.

Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease that mainly affects the axial bones, and dementia is characterized by a decline in cognitive function, leading to dependence in everyday activity. Although the association between dementia and ankylosing spondylitis has been investigated, the influence of axSpA medication on dementia risk is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk of dementia among axSpA patients and if the conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) can reduce the risk of dementia. Patients with axSpA whose data were recorded during 2004–2008 and who were followed up until the end of 2010 were recruited. A control cohort was matched by age and sex. A Cox multivariate proportional hazards model was applied to analyze the risk factors for dementia. The hazard ratio (HR) and adjusted HR (aHR) were estimated between the study and control cohorts. The effects of csDMARDs and steroid use on the risk of different types of dementia were also analyzed. In total, 2341 and 11,705 patients constituted the axSpA and control cohort, respectively. The axSpA cohort had a greater risk of vascular dementia (aHR = 2.09 (1.36–3.20). The risk of dementia (aHR = 1.01 (0.55–1.85) did not significantly differ between patients with axSpA who received csDMARDs. In conclusion, patients with axSpA are at a risk of vascular dementia, which could be reduced by csDMARDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]