A new study by an international team of researchers holds significant implications not only for patients with mental disorders but also for their caregivers.
The scientists have demonstrated that age, gender, irregular heart rhythms, and daily activity levels are the most prominent predictors of cognitive decline.
The team noted that even in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, cognitive impairments were best predicted based on a combination of demographic, somatic, and functional variables of the patients.
Over two years, the researchers monitored a group of individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, starting with 500 patients. However, the dropout rate was quite high: by the end of the two-year period, only 169 participants remained in the study.
The researchers recorded data on numerous demographic, medical, and functional factors, including the presence of pain, depression, and neuropsychiatric symptoms.
Indicators of cognitive decline were present in all participants. The researchers found that older age, being female, atrial fibrillation (issues with irregular heart rhythm), and difficulties with daily activities were the strongest predictors of cognitive decline.
These four predictors, identified at the beginning of the study, accounted for approximately 14 percent of the variance in cognitive functions among patients in the final quarter of the two-year research period.
The scientists pointed out that the burden of the disease does not only affect the patients. The strain on caregivers increased as the cognitive abilities of the patients declined, as reported by Science Alert.
While some variables, such as smoking and alcohol consumption, were not accounted for, the results are robust enough to suggest that the four identified factors are sufficient to predict rapid cognitive decline caused by Alzheimer’s disease.
With each study, researchers are becoming increasingly accurate in forecasting how Alzheimer’s disease may progress. Recently developed methodologies utilize brain scans and specific biomarkers to predict cognitive function decline over a five-year period.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting tens of millions of people worldwide, and this number continues to rise due to an aging population. Therefore, such research helps in finding new effective treatment and support methods for patients.
“These results emphasize the importance of a comprehensive approach to treatment that considers both the characteristics of the patient and the caregiver,” the researchers wrote in their report.
The findings of the study were published in the journal PLOS ONE.