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Pulmonary Function Impairment May Be an Early Risk Factor for Late‐Life Cognitive Impairment
Author(s) -
Vidal JeanSébastien,
Aspelund Thor,
Jonsdottir Maria K.,
Jonsson Palmi V.,
Harris Tamara B.,
Lopez Oscar L.,
Gudnason Vilmundur,
Launer Lenore J.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/jgs.12069
Subject(s) - medicine , dementia , cohort study , cognition , cognitive decline , population , prospective cohort study , gerontology , cohort , psychiatry , disease , environmental health
Objectives To determine the association between change in pulmonary function ( PF ) and mid‐ and late‐life cognitive function. Design Prospective population‐based cohort study that included measures of pulmonary function in midlife and brain magnetic resonance imaging data acquired in late life. Setting The Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility—Reykjavik Study. Participants Three thousand six hundred sixty‐five subjects who had at least one measure of forced expiratory volume in 1 second ( FEV 1 ) and were cognitively tested on average 23 years later. A subset of 1,281 subjects had two or three measures of FEV 1 acquired over a 7.8‐year period. Measurements Pulmonary function was estimated as FEV 1 /height 2 . Rate of PF decline was estimated as the slope of decline over time. Cognitive status was measured with continuous scores of memory, speed of processing, and executive function and as the outcome of mild cognitive impairment ( MCI ) and dementia. Results Lower PF measured in midlife predicted poorer memory, slower speed of processing, poorer executive function, and greater likelihood of MCI and dementia 23 years later. Decrease in PF over a 7.8‐year period in midlife was not associated with MCI or dementia. Conclusion Low PF measured in midlife may be an early marker of later cognitive problems. Additional studies characterizing early and late PF changes are needed.