Cognitive complaints in older adults in primary care and associated factors

Cognitive complaints are common in older people. They can progress into a more severe cognitive decline and then deterioration of quality of life. They are associated with several factors.

This study aimed to determine the factors associated with cognitive complaints in older adults in the city of Marrakech, Morocco.

This study was conducted between March and June 2022 among 281 people aged 50 years and older who attended primary health care centers in the city of Marrakech. Cognitive complaints were measured using the McNair-Kahn scale. Data on sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were collected through interviews with the participants and consultation of their medical records. Analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25, Ink software.

Of the total participants, 51.6% had cognitive complaints. Multivariate analysis showed that people aged 75 years and over had a sevenfold higher risk of cognitive complaints than people aged 50-64 years (p=0.033; OR=7.64; 95%CI 1.17-49.72), and that illiteracy (p=0.004; OR=3.39; 95%CI 1.48-7.76), cardiovascular disease (p=0.018; OR=4.30; 95%CI 1.29-14.32), diabetes (p=0.001; OR=3.14; 95%CI 1.64-6.04), visual impairment (p=0.017; OR=2.22; 95%CI 1.15-4.19), depression (p= 0.027; OR=2.36; 95%CI 1.10-5.05) and sleepiness (p=0.034; OR=1.96; 95%CI 1.05-3.66) are associated variables.

Cognitive complaints are frequent in older adults and are associated with several sociodemographic and health factors. Some measures could help maintain stable memory performance in old age and prevent severe cognitive declines, such as regular follow-up of at-risk individuals, and cognitive, physical and leisure activities.