Relationship of Serum Lipid Levels and Other Underlying Factors With Cognitive Impairment in the Elderly

Abstract

Objectives The involvement of factors such as serum lipids and lipoproteins concentration has been reported as a potential risk factor for cognitive impairment. This study aimed to investigate the effect of underlying factors and serum lipid levels on cognitive impairment in the elderly. Methods & Materials This cross-sectional study was conducted on 1519 elderly in Amirkola City by the census method, from September 2016 to March 2017 (6 months). The data collection tools were a background information form of older adults and the mini-mental state exam. The obtained data were analyzed in SPSS version 23 using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics such as the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, the Chi-squared test, analysis of variance (1-way ANOVA) and Tukey’s post hoc test. Results According to the results, 9% (13 elderly) of the study population had severe cognitive impairment. The results of the Chi-square test did not show a significant relationship between gender and cognitive impairment (P>0.05). The significant differences were found between age, blood pressure, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoproteins variables with the categorized groups of cognitive impairments of the elderly (P≤0.05). Conclusion Screening for cognitive impairments is one of the recommendations of this study. Early diagnosis and treatment of this disease, especially in high-risk groups such as women and elderly with hypertension and disrupted serum lipid profile can play an important role in controlling the disease and reducing the care burden.

Keywords

• Lipid profile
• Cognitive impairment
• Elderly