Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Neurology
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• Nutritional status is a critical concern in individuals with cognitive impairment, with a known link between malnutrition and cognitive function.
• Cognitive decline is often accompanied by swallowing and eating difficulties, negatively impacting nutritional status.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between the severity of cognitive impairment and nutritional status.
• To assess the prevalence of malnutrition and eating disturbances in relation to cognitive impairment.
• To identify predictors of malnutrition and eating disturbances in this population.

Main Methods:

• Sixty-two patients with cognitive impairment were assessed using the Clinical Dementia Rating scale Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB) for severity.
• Nutritional status was evaluated via the Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA) questionnaire, BMI, WHR, and biochemical markers.
• Eating and swallowing disturbances were assessed using a comprehensive questionnaire.

Main Results:

• Malnutrition risk and eating habit disturbances significantly increased with the severity of cognitive impairment.
• Moderate dementia patients had a significantly higher risk of malnutrition (aOR = 8.9) and eating disturbances (aOR = 15.5) compared to mild cognitive impairment patients.
• While BMI, WHR, and biochemical markers showed no significant group differences, MNA scores indicated increased malnutrition risk with cognitive decline.

Conclusions:

• Cognitive impairment severity is a significant predictor of malnutrition risk.
• Increased severity of cognitive impairment is strongly associated with a higher likelihood of eating disturbances.
• Early nutritional assessment and intervention are crucial for individuals with cognitive impairment.