A groundbreaking study from Sweden has established a connection between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and cognitive decline in patients with dementia, marking the first such finding. Published in the journal Neurology, the research underscores the critical need for heightened monitoring and management to mitigate cognitive deterioration in these individuals.
The study, led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet, analyzed the health data of 1,685 dementia patients with RA and 5,055 dementia patients without RA. Both groups were matched based on age, gender, and other health conditions. Over an average follow-up period of three years, the results showed that dementia patients with RA experienced more significant cognitive decline and faced a higher risk of mortality compared to their RA-free counterparts.
“Our findings suggest that RA is linked to worse cognitive outcomes in dementia patients, particularly those with Alzheimer’s disease or mixed Alzheimer’s dementia,” said Minjia Mo, a postdoctoral researcher at Karolinska Institutet and the lead author of the study. “This emphasizes the need to identify inflammatory risk factors as part of strategies aimed at slowing or preventing dementia’s progression.”
Conducted as a cohort study using the Swedish Registry for Cognitive/Dementia Disorders (SveDem), the research included patients diagnosed with dementia between 2007 and 2018. Cognitive decline was the primary focus, measured through changes in Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores, while secondary outcomes included all-cause mortality.
Looking ahead, the researchers are eager to delve deeper into how systemic inflammation associated with RA contributes to neuroinflammation and cognitive decline. “We plan to explore specific inflammatory markers linked to both RA and dementia progression and assess whether anti-inflammatory treatments for RA could help slow the advancement of dementia,” explained Hong Xu, Assistant Professor at Karolinska Institutet and the study’s senior author.
The team hopes the findings will raise awareness among healthcare professionals about the connection between RA and dementia, advocating for a multidisciplinary approach to better manage these complex cases.
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