Increased Serum Neuropeptide Galanin Level Is a Predictor of Cognitive Dysfunction in Patients with Hip Fracture

Hip fracture is a common occurrence in elderly populations and is frequently followed by various levels of cognitive dysfunction, leading to adverse functional outcomes. Risk stratification of hip fracture patients to identify high-risk subsets can enable improved strategies to mitigate cognitive complications. The neuropeptide galanin has multiple neurological functions, and altered levels are documented in dementia-type and depression disorders. The present study investigated the association of serum neuropeptide galanin levels in hip fracture patients with the occurrence of cognitive dysfunction during the first week of admission.

276 hip fracture patients without preexisting delirium, cognitive impairment, or severe mental disorders were included in a cross-sectional study. Serum galanin levels were assessed by ELISA on the second day of admission. Routine clinical and laboratory variables were documented. MoCA was performed within 1 week, and those with a score < 26 were categorized with "cognitive decline." Inferential statistics including multiple linear regression analysis were applied to determine the association of serum galanin level and cognitive status.

141 patients were categorized with "cognitive decline," and 135 patients were categorized as "cognitively normal." Serum galanin was highly significantly increased in the "cognitive decline" group (34.2 ± 4.8, pg/ml) compared to the "cognitively normal" group (28.9 ± 3.7, pg/ml) and showed significant negative correlation with MoCA scores (r = -0.229, p = 0.016). Regression analysis showed serum galanin as the sole significant independent predictor of lower MoCA scores (β = 0.231, p = 0.035) while age, gender, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose levels had no significant association.

Higher serum galanin predicted the development of cognitive dysfunction and worse MoCA scores in a cohort of hip fracture patients without preexisting cognitive impairment or delirium at admission, thus warranting large-scale studies investigating galanin as a candidate biomarker to identify hip fracture patients at risk of cognitive decline.