Severe Dementia Predicts Weight Loss by the Time of Death

Author(s)

Ciciliati, Aline Maria M. ^[1] ; Adriazola, Izabela Ono ^[1] ; Souza Farias-Itao, Daniela ^[2] ; Pasqualucci, Carlos Augusto ^[2] ; Leite, Renata Elaine Paraizo ^[2] ; Nitrini, Ricardo ^[3] ; Grinberg, Lea T. ^{[2, 4]} ; Jacob-Filho, Wilson ^[1] ; Suemoto, Claudia Kimie ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Med Sch, Discipline Geriatr, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Med Sch, Dept Pathol, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Med Sch, Dept Neurol, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[4] Univ Calif San Francisco, Memory & Aging Ctr, Dept Neurol & Pathol, San Francisco, CA 94143 - USA

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: FRONTIERS IN NEUROLOGY; v. 12, MAY 14 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Background: Body mass index (BMI) in midlife is associated with dementia. However, the association between BMI and late-life obesity is controversial. Few studies have investigated the association between BMI and cognitive performance near the time of death using data from autopsy examination. We aimed to investigate the association between BMI and dementia in deceased individuals who underwent a full-body autopsy examination. Methods: Weight and height were measured before the autopsy exam. Cognitive function before death was investigated using the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale. The cross-sectional association between BMI and dementia was investigated using linear regression models adjusted for sociodemographic and clinical variables. Results: We included 1,090 individuals (mean age 69.5 +/- 13.5 years old, 46% women). Most participants (56%) had a normal BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m(2)), and the prevalence of dementia was 16%. Twenty-four percent of the sample had cancer, including 76 cases diagnosed only by the autopsy examination. Moderate and severe dementia were associated with lower BMI compared with participants with normal cognition in fully adjusted models (moderate: beta = -1.92, 95% CI = -3.77 to -0.06, p = 0.042; severe: beta = -2.91, 95% CI = -3.97 to -1.86, p < 0.001). Conclusion: BMI was associated with moderate and severe dementia in late life, but we did not find associations of BMI with less advanced dementia stages. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 13/12290-3 - ASSOCIATION BETWEEN EPICARDIAL ADIPOSE TISSUE INFLAMMATION AND CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE: A CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL STUDY
• Grantee: Daniela Souza Farias Itao
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• FAPESP's process: 06/55318-1 - Nosological diagnosis of dementia in a Brazilian population
• Grantee: Ricardo Nitrini
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 17/24066-1 - CHARACTERIZATION OF THE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE PROFILE IN THE PERIVASCULAR ADIPOSE TISSUE ASSOCIATED WITH CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE: AN AUTOPSY STUDY
• Grantee: Daniela Souza Farias Itao
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate