Sepsis on dementia risk: A population-based cohort study with dose-dependent analysis

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Infectious Diseases
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Emerging evidence suggests a link between sepsis-induced inflammation and increased dementia risk.
• The dose-dependent effects of recurrent sepsis episodes on dementia risk are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether sepsis increases the risk of dementia.
• To explore a potential dose-response relationship between the frequency of sepsis episodes and dementia risk.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database (2005-2022).
• Propensity score matching was used to balance sepsis and non-sepsis groups.
• An index and landmark period design was employed to assess sepsis episodes and dementia onset, with follow-up for up to 64 months.

Main Results:

• Sepsis was associated with a significantly increased risk of all-cause dementia (HR 1.59).
• A dose-response relationship was observed, with multiple sepsis episodes correlating with the highest dementia risk (sHR 1.63).
• Vascular dementia showed a particularly strong association with sepsis (1.2% vs. 0.6% incidence).

Conclusions:

• Sepsis is a significant risk factor for dementia, with a clear dose-dependent association.
• The findings highlight the increased risk of vascular dementia following sepsis episodes.
• This large-scale study provides robust evidence, addressing limitations of prior research through advanced statistical methods.