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Multimorbidity burden and developmental trajectory in relation to later-life dementia: A prospective study
Hui Chen1, Yaguan Zhou1, Liyan Huang1
1School of Public Health and the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Introduction:
This study assessed the associations of multimorbidity burden and its developmental trajectory with later-life dementia.
Methods:
Among 5923 Health and Retirement Study participants, major chronic conditions including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cancer, lung diseases, heart disease, stroke, psychological disorders, and arthritis were self- or proxy-reported in 1994-2008. Dementia diagnosis was self- or proxy-reported in 2008-2018. We used Cox regression to assess the associations of multimorbidity with incident dementia.
Results:
During follow-up (median = 8 years), 701 participants developed dementia. Each additional chronic condition in 2008 was related to 15% (confidence interval: 9% to 22%) higher hazard of dementia. Multimorbidity trajectories in 1994-2008 were classified as "rapid growth", "steady growth", "slow growth", and "no new condition" by the group-based trajectory modelling methods. Compared to "no new condition", the "rapid growth" trajectory was related to 32% (3% to 69%) higher dementia risk.
Conclusions:
Both multimorbidity burden and its developmental trajectory were prospectively associated with risk of dementia.
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