Low Cognition Scores Linked To Higher Stroke Risk

Adults in their 60s with low cognition scores had up to 86% higher stroke risk, a Swedish study found. The research suggests cognitive testing might be an important screening tool for future cerebrovascular events in this age group.

Global Newsflix1 d ago 2 min read

Low Cognition Scores Linked To Higher Stroke Risk — Photo: StudyFinds

A longitudinal study of nearly 5,000 adults in Sweden found that lower scores on tests of thinking, memory, and processing speed in adults in their sixties are associated with a higher risk for a first stroke years later.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, found that adults aged 60-69 years who had the lowest scores for global cognition, episodic memory, and perceptual speed had a 66%-86% higher risk for stroke than those with the highest cognitive scores.

Lead investigator Alice Askemyr said the link between cognitive performance and future risk for stroke may vary across older age groups. The associations were not significant among adults aged 70 years or older.

The study used data from the Good Aging in Skåne study, a population-based prospective cohort of adults randomly selected from five municipalities in southern Sweden. The mean follow-up was 12.3 years.

Participants completed standard tests of memory, perceptual speed, word fluency, and a combined measure of working memory and mental flexibility. A fifth measure, overall thinking ability, averaged each person’s results across the tests.

Over an average of 12.3 years, 572 of the 4,912 participants had a first stroke. The team compared the lowest-scoring third with the highest-scoring third on each measure, adjusting for age, sex, education, smoking, drinking, exercise, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, and heart disease.

The researchers found that low memory and thinking scores in adults in their 60s were tied to up to 86% higher stroke risk. The study's findings suggest that cognitive testing might be an important screening tool for future cerebrovascular events in this age group.

Key facts

Lower cognition scores in adults in their 60s are associated with a higher risk for a first stroke years later.
The study found a 66%-86% higher risk for stroke in adults aged 60-69 years with the lowest cognitive scores.
The link between cognitive performance and future risk for stroke may vary across older age groups.
Cognitive testing might be an important screening tool for future cerebrovascular events in adults in their 60s.

Three perspectives

Neutral

The study's findings highlight the importance of cognitive testing in identifying individuals at risk for stroke. Further research is needed to understand the relationship between cognitive performance and stroke risk. The results of this study may have implications for the development of screening tools and prevention strategies.

Positive

The study's findings suggest that cognitive testing might be a useful tool for identifying individuals at risk for stroke, allowing for early intervention and prevention. This could lead to a reduction in the number of strokes and improved health outcomes for adults in their 60s.

Negative

The study's findings also highlight the limitations of cognitive testing in predicting stroke risk in older adults. The lack of significant associations among adults aged 70 years or older suggests that cognitive testing may not be effective in identifying individuals at risk for stroke in this age group.