Cognitive complaints in age-related chronic conditions: A systematic review

Abstract

Introduction Cognitive complaints in older adults may be indicative of progressive cognitive decline including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but also occur in other age-related chronic conditions, complicating identification of early AD symptoms. To better understand cognitive complaints in aging, we systematically reviewed the evidence to determine their prevalence and characterization among older adults with the most common age-related chronic conditions. Methods This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement and the review protocol was prospectively registered with PROSPERO (ID: CRD42020153147). Searches were conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses A&I in June 2020. Two members of the review team independently determined article eligibility for inclusion and conducted quality appraisal. A narrative synthesis of results was used to integrate findings across studies and draw conclusions regarding the strength of the evidence in each chronic condition category. Results Thirty-seven articles met eligibility criteria and were included in the review. Conditions represented were diabetes (n = 20), heart disease (n = 13), hypertension (n = 10), chronic lung disease (n = 5), arthritis (n = 4), heart failure (n = 2), and hyperlipidemia (n = 2). In addition, 16 studies included a measure of multimorbidity. Overall, there was a higher prevalence of cognitive complaints in individuals with higher multimorbidity, including a potential dose-dependent relationship. Findings for specific conditions were inconsistent, but there is evidence to suggest that cross-sectionally, older adults with diabetes, heart disease, chronic lung disease, and arthritis have more cognitive complaints than those without these conditions. Conclusion There is strong evidence demonstrating that cognitive complaints are more common in older adults with higher multimorbidity, but little research examining these associations over time. Improving our understanding of the longitudinal trajectory of cognitive complaints, multimorbidity, and objective cognition in older age is an important area for future research.

Cluster analysis for the overall health status of elderly, multimorbid patients with diabetes

“…In our study, age, sex, living situation, BMI, and regular exercise were predictors of overall health status profiles, and patients in the poor overall health status group were more likely to be older. Previous studies have found that age was a significant risk factor for the prevalence of multimorbidity, which was the main risk factor of shorter life expectancy and poorer quality of life ( 45–47 ). This finding was consistent with the outcomes of the present study.…”

Associations of Subjective Memory with Life Space and Neighborhood Built Environment in Older Adults in the ACTIVE Study

“…Subjective memory complaints are often one of the first signs of dementia (Jessen et al, 2020). They are also an obstacle to healthy aging as a factor related to worse quality of life (Hill et al, 2017), poorer physical health (Hill et al, 2021), and poorer mental health (Hill et al, 2016). The aim of our study was to clarify the role of movement within one’s life space and the role of the NBE on subjective memory.…”

Combined Effects of Diabetes and Education on Decline of Cognitive Performance in the Older Population: The Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe

“…Domain specific results on cognitive decline were to some extent heterogeneous in cross-sectional and longitudinal studies; in most cross-sectional studies, mild to moderate cognitive decline was reported, whereas in most longitudinal studies, rates of decline were smaller and cognitive decline was not observed in all prospective studies [5,6]. In addition, self-reported cognitive complaints were shown to be more prevalent in persons with diabetes than in persons without diabetes [8,9]. It is noteworthy that cognitive decline in persons with diabetes was not only observed in old age, but also in late-midlife [10][11][12].…”