Impact of Pneumonia on Cognitive Aging: A Longitudinal Propensity-Matched Cohort Study


 
 
 Acute clinical events, such as pneumonia, may impact physical functionality but their effect on cognition and the possible duration of this effect remains to be quantified. This study investigated the impact of pneumonia on cognitive trajectories and dementia development in older people.
 
 
 
 Data were obtained from 60+ years old individuals, who were assessed from 2001-2018 in the population-based SNAC-K study (Sweden). Participants were eligible if they were not institutionalized, had no dementia, and did not experience pneumonia five years prior to baseline (N = 2063). A propensity score was derived to match 1:3 participants hospitalized with a diagnosis of pneumonia (N=178), to non-exposed participants (N=534). Mixed linear models and Cox regressions were used to model cognitive decline and dementia. The hazard of dementia, clinically diagnosed by physicians following DSM-IV, was estimated using Cox regression models.
 
 
 
 We found a transient impact of pneumonia on cognitive decline in the first 2.5 years (B=-0.94, 95%CI -1.75, -0.15). The hazard ratio for dementia was not statistically significantly increased in pneumonia participants (HR=1.17, 95%CI 0.82, 1.66).
 
 
 
 The transient impact of pneumonia on cognitive function suggests an increased need of healthcare for patients after a pneumonia-related hospitalization and reinforces the relevance of pneumonia prevention.
