Infections Tied to Increased Mortality in Dementia Patients

An analysis of Danish national registry data presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference indicated that post-infection mortality was higher in older adults with dementia than those in the short- and long-term, reports MedPage Today . Among 1.5 million adults followed for a collective total of about 13 million years, people with dementia and infection-related hospital visits died at a rate 6.5 times higher than people with neither. Their mortality rate also was three times that of dementia-free older adults with infection-related hospital visits. Mortality rate ratios (MRRs) in all infection sites were higher in the dementia cohort than in the no-dementia cohort, and highest with sepsis and lowest with ear infections. MRRs in the dementia group were highest the first 30 days after onset of first infection, and continued to exceed MRRs in the no-dementia group until after 10 years post-first infection. "The study sheds light on the need for better clinical management and post-hospital care for people with dementia following infections," said the University of Copenhagen's Janet Janbek. "It encourages research to further our understanding into which risk factors can explain the increased mortality following infections in people with dementia."