Abstract
Subjective memory complaints (SMCs) may be important markers in the prediction of cognitive deterioration. The aim of this study was to find associations between individual lifestyle factors, which may contribute to cognitive impairment (CI) in people with SMCs and to conduct a literature review on the relationship between internet use and CI in subjects over 50 years old, as a related factor. This was a case-controlled study that included 497 subjects aged over 50 years with SMCs who were recruited from 19 community pharmacies. Three screening tests were used to detect possible CIs, and individuals with at least one test result compatible with a CI were referred to primary care for evaluation. Having self-referred SMC increased the odds of obtaining scores compatible with CI and this factor was significantly related to having feelings of depression (OR = 2.24, 95% CI [1.34, 3.90]), taking anxiolytics or antidepressants (OR = 1.93, 95% CI [1.23, 3.05]), and being female (OR = 1.83, 95% CI [1.15, 2.88]). Thirty percent of our sample obtained scores compatible with CI. Age over 70 years increased the odds of obtaining scores compatible with CI. A high-level education, reading, and daily internet use were factors associated with a reduced risk of positive scores compatible with CI (37–91%, 7–18%, and 67–86%, respectively), while one extra hour television per day increased the risk by 8–30%. Among others, modifiable lifestyle factors such as reading, and daily internet usage may slow down cognitive decline in patients over 50 with SMCs. Four longitudinal studies and one quasi-experimental study found internet use to be beneficial against CI in patients over 50 years of age.
Highlights
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia among older adults
It has been shown that Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a continuum between the first stages with very few or no symptoms and the most sever phase [3]
A decision tree obtained by machine learning techniques indicated that the presentation of a subjective memory complaints (SMCs) was the variable most strongly associated with the detection of subjects with cognitive impairment (CI) [18,19]
Summary
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia among older adults It is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder, which slowly destroys memory, thinking skills, and eventually, the ability to carry out simple tasks. It has been shown that AD is a continuum between the first stages with very few or no symptoms (preclinical AD, MCI) and the most sever phase (dementia) [3]. It is a process in which pathophysiological changes accumulate over several years and culminate in a clinically apparent disease, which progresses with a gradual decline in cognitive and functional abilities, with no defined boundaries between the different clinical stages [4]. Stage 3 reflects mild cognitive impairment (MCI), while stage 4 reflects mild dementia, stage 5 moderate dementia and stage 6 severe dementia [5]
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