Emergency/Urgent Hospitalizations Linked to Accelerated Cognitive Decline in Older Adults

A study published in Neurology suggests hospitalization may be a greater risk factor for long-term cognitive decline in older adults than previously thought, reports Medical Xpress . "We found that those who have non-elective (emergency or urgent) hospitalizations and who have not previously been diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer's disease had a rapid decline in cognitive function (i.e., thinking abilities) compared to the prehospital rates," says Rush University Medical Center Professor Bryan James. "By comparison, people who were never hospitalized and those who had elective hospitalizations did not experience the drastic decline in cognitive function." The researchers compared hospitalization data for 777 older men and women who underwent annual cognitive assessments and clinical evaluations. Of the 460 who were hospitalized, 29 percent had at least one elective hospitalization, and 54 percent had at least one non-elective hospitalization; 23 percent underwent both types of hospitalization. An approximately 50 percent acceleration in pre-hospitalization cognitive decline rate was associated with non-elective hospitalizations, which was more than twice that of persons who were not hospitalized. Elective hospitalizations were not associated with an accelerated rate of decline. "Non-elective admissions drive the association between hospitalization and long-term changes in cognitive function in later life, while elective admissions do not necessarily carry the same risk of negative cognitive outcomes," James concluded.