Prevalence of functional cognitive impairment and associated factors in Brazilian community-dwelling older adults

Abstract

The identification of the prevalence of cognitive impairment and associated factors among older adults is important in countries facing rapid demographic transition, given the significant implications for public policy and health planning.ObjectiveTo determine the prevalence of functional cognitive impairment (FCI) and associated factors in Brazilian community-dwelling older adults.MethodsA cross-sectional study involving 461 elderly subjects residing in Fortaleza city, Ceará was conducted. Cognitive assessment was performed using three tests: the MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination), VF (Verbal Fluency) and CT (Clock Test). The functional capacity evaluation was based on a survey of 21 basic and instrumental activities of daily living (ADLs). Cognitive impairment was defined by MMSE cut-off points adjusted for literacy. Functional impairment was defined as dependency to carry out more than four ADLs.ResultsThe prevalence of FCI was 13.64% (95% CI: 10.33 to 16.64%). FCI was proportionally associated with age with OR=2.24 (95% CI: 1.04 to 4.79) for individuals aged 70 to 79 years and OR=8.27 (95 % CI: 4.27 to 16.4) for those aged 80 to 100 years. FCI was associated with self-reported diseases including hypertension OR=2.06 (95% CI: 1.17 to 3.65), stroke OR=2.88 (95% CI: 1.66 to 5.00) and acute myocardial infarction OR=2.94 (95% CI: 1.59 to 5.42). The occurrence of FCI was proportionally correlated with the number of drugs used.ConclusionFunctional cognitive impairment is a prevalent condition in Brazilian community-dwelling older adults and its occurrence is associated with age, number of drugs used, and vascular morbidities.

Association between cognitive impairment and criteria for frailty syndrome among older adults

“…The prevalence of cognitive impairment in the population-based SABE study in Brazil was 7.9% 25 . In another study, the proportion of elderly people with some degree of cognitive impairment was 13.6% 26 . Similar prevalence rates of frailty were found in other middle-income and low-income countries.…”

Cumulative effects of cognitive impairment and frailty on functional decline, falls and hospitalization: A four-year follow-up study with older adults

“…27 This rate is high in comparison to previous Brazilian population-based studies, in which the prevalence ranges from 8 to 14%. 28,29 The divergence may be due to the profile of older adults in different samples as well as the measures and cutoff points employed. In the present study, the majority of participants had less than five years of schooling and the full version of MMSE was used.…”

Factores asociados a la vulnerabilidad cognitiva de los adultos mayores en tres ciudades de Colombia

“…La prevalencia de deterioro cognitivo hallada en este estudio se debe clasificar como de severidad leve, debido a que dentro de los criterios de selección debieron excluirse los adultos mayores con capacidad cognitiva severamente deteriorada que les impedía responder a los instrumentos empleados en la investigación; por tanto, la prevalencia de este deterioro de ubicó en el 4 %, similar a la reportada por Mejía et al en México (23), pero menor a la reportada por el Estudio Nacional de Salud, Bienestar y Envejecimiento (SABE) (13) realizado en Colombia en el año 2015, donde se reportó una presencia de deterioro cognoscitivo leve de 17 %, así como en un estudio reciente con población de adultos mayores que viven en comunidad en Brasil, donde la prevalencia fue de 13,64 % (IC 95 %: 10,33-16,64) (24).…”