Findings from a study conducted in elderly patients indicate that anaemia is associated with an increased risk of developing dementia, and that the presence of iron deficiency, the leading cause of anaemia, could contribute to risk of developing dementia in later life.
The study included older adults (50–79 years) who were free of dementia at baseline. Dementia diagnosis was determined by dementia medication use, hospital records, or a change in Modified Mini-Mental State (3MS) score of >1.5 standard deviation from the mean.
Of the 2552 participants (mean age 76.1 years), a total of 392 (15.4%) had anaemia (haemoglobin concentration <13 g/dL for men and <12 g/dL for women) at baseline. Over 11 years of follow-up, 455 participants (17.8%) developed dementia. Those with baseline anaemia had an increased risk of dementia compared to those without anaemia (23 vs 17%, hazard ratio = 1.64; 95% confidence interval, 1.30–2.07). The association remained significant after adjusting for demographics, apolipoprotein E, baseline 3MS score, comorbidities and renal function. Further adjustment for other anaemia measures (mean corpuscular volume, red cell distribution width), erythropoietin and C-reactive protein similarly did not appreciably change the results.
Whilst the data indicate that anaemia is associated with an increased risk of developing dementia, further studies are needed to determine whether a preventative strategy targeting anaemia could effectively reduce the risk of dementia, or if a more wide-ranging approach is needed. As iron deficiency anaemia is the most common form of anaemia, it is possible that a link between reduced iron intake and increased risk of dementia may be present. However, further research is required in order to establish this hypothesis, and to determine whether or not consumption of iron-rich foods may reduce the risk of iron deficiency anaemia and, in some cases, help combat iron deficiency anaemia in those who already have the condition.
The full article can be found in the August 2013 issue of Neurology.
