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Anemia, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia among rural‐dwelling older adults: A population‐based study
Author(s) -
Jiang Ziying,
Han Xiaolei,
Wang Yongxiang,
Hou Tingting,
Cong Lin,
Tang Shi,
Qiu Chengxuan,
Du Yifeng
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.713
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1552-5279
pISSN - 1552-5260
DOI - 10.1002/alz.038691
Subject(s) - dementia , anemia , medicine , mini–mental state examination , odds ratio , cognition , population , cross sectional study , gerontology , demography , psychiatry , disease , environmental health , pathology , sociology
Background Evidence has emerged that anemia is associated with cognitive impairment and dementia in older people. However, their relationship has been rarely examined among people in low‐ and middle‐income countries. We aimed to investigate the associations of anemia and hemoglobin with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia among rural‐dwelling Chinese older adults. Method This population‐based cross‐sectional study included 4,838 participants (age ≥65 years; 57.0% women) who were living in the rural communities in western Shandong Province. Data on demographics, lifestyle, clinical conditions, and cognitive function were collected through face‐to‐face interviews, physical examinations, and laboratory tests. Anemia was defined as hemoglobin levels <13 g/dl in men and <12 g/dl in women. Cognitive function was evaluated using the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) and neuropsychological test battery. We defined MCI using Petersen’s criteria and dementia according to the DSM‐IV criteria. Data were analyzed using multiple multinomial logistic and general linear regression models. Results The overall prevalence of anemia was 20.1%, with the prevalence in people with normal cognition, MCI, and dementia being 19.2%, 22.8%, and 26.3%, respectively. Anemia was associated with a multiple‐adjusted odds ratio of 1.28 (95% CI: 1.04‐1.57) for MCI and 1.27 (95% CI: 0.87‐1.85) for dementia, and a multiple‐adjusted β‐coefficient of ‐0.60 (95% CI: ‐0.94 to ‐0.27) for MMSE score. Furthermore, a higher hemoglobin level was significantly associated with a greater C‐MMSE score ( P for trend <0.001), but not with dementia. Conclusions Anemia is associated with MCI and poor global cognitive performance, but not with dementia among rural‐dwelling Chinese older adults. Furthermore, a higher hemoglobin level is correlated with better cognitive performance.