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BackgroundCognitive impairment may increase the risk of all‐cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. This study examined the association between cognitive function and risk of all‐cause and CVD mortality among the elderly in Beijing, China.Methods and ResultsA total of 1996 participants aged ≥55 years at baseline were enrolled from the BLSA (Beijing Longitudinal Study of Aging). Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE), and participants were categorized as: <18, 18 to 23, 24 to 27, and 28 to 30. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the association. Hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were reported. During a 20‐year follow‐up, 1122 (56.21%) participants died, 478 (42.60%) of whom died of CVD. Compared with MMSE scores of 28 to 30, participants with MMSE scores of <18 were independently associated with all‐cause mortality (hazard ratio, 2.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.59–2.87; P<0.001) and CVD mortality (hazard ratio, 4.52; 95% confidence interval, 2.80–7.30, P<0.001). Each 5‐point decrease in MMSE score was associated with a 34% increased risk of all‐cause mortality and a 56% increased risk of CVD mortality. This relationship remained statistically significant after using the competing risk model to consider non‐CVD death as a competing risk event.ConclusionCognitive impairment measured by MMSE score was associated with elevated risk of all‐cause and CVD mortality among the elderly in Beijing, China.

Background Associations between the frequency of social and intellectual activities and cognitive trajectories are understudied in Chinese middle-aged and older adults. We aimed to examine this association in a nationally representative longitudinal study. Methods The China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) is a nationally representative sample of Chinese middle-aged and older participants. The frequency of social and intellectual activities was measured at baseline. Interview-based cognitive assessments of orientation and attention, episodic memory, and visuospatial skills and the calculation of combined global scores were assessed every 2 years from 2011 to 2016. Cognitive aging trajectories over time were analyzed using group-based trajectory modeling, and the associations of the trajectory memberships with social and intellectual activities were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported. Results Among 8204 participants aged 50–75 years at baseline, trajectory analysis identified three longitudinal patterns of cognitive function based on the global cognitive scores: “persistently low trajectory” (n = 1550, 18.9%), “persistently moderate trajectory” (n = 3194, 38.9%), and “persistently high trajectory” (n = 3460, 42.2%). After adjustment for sociodemographic variables, lifestyles, geriatric symptoms, and health conditions, more frequent intellectual activities (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.38–0.77) and social activities (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.65–0.95) were both associated with a lower likelihood of being in the “persistently low trajectory” for global cognitive function. Conclusions These findings suggested that more frequent social and intellectual activities were associated with more favorable cognitive aging trajectories.

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The prevalence of ADL disability declined among the oldest-old population in China from the year of 1998 to 2008 without obeying a linear pattern. Temporal trends of ADL disability mainly attributed to the change of low disability level prevalence. Stroke/CVD and cognitive impairment were the most common risk factors of disability. Vision impairment caused disability has become less common, while risks of multimorbidity related disability increased.