Nutritional and global indexes of progression in dementia: a 12-month prospective study.

Abstract

To assess the influence of body mass index (BMI) on the progression of dementia. Sixty elderly outpatients with untreated dementia followed for 12 months. All patients underwent clinical, cognitive, functional, and nutritional assessment at the baseline and after 12 months. Patients were divided into 2 groups by baseline BMI (< or ≥25 kg/m(2)). Participants with a baseline BMI ≥25 kg/m(2) had significantly higher Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores (21 ± 5.1 vs 15.9 ± 5.5; P < .001), while clinical dementia rating (CDR) and multidimensional prognostic index (MPI) scores were similar in the 2 groups. After 12 months, the MMSE score decreased significantly in both groups compared to the baseline, while the CDR and MPI scores increased significantly for patients with a baseline BMI <25 kg/m(2). A BMI cutoff of 25 kg/m(2) could be useful for identifying frail patients with dementia who will experience a more rapid global impairment, which could be assessed adequately using multidimensional evaluation tools.