Reduced Kidney Function May Increase Dementia Risk

A lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) may be associated with an increased risk of dementia, according to the results of a recent study.

The researchers conducted a registry-based study that included 329,822 adults in Stockholm. All participants had accessed healthcare from 2006 to 2011, were 65 years of age or older, and did not have prior history of dementia or kidney replacement therapy.

Risk of dementia was defined as a new dementia diagnosis or the initiation of dementia treatments. Decline in eGFR rate was measured repeatedly within the first year of observation in 205,622 patients.

Overall, 5.8% (n = 18,983) of participants developed dementia over the 5-year follow-up period. A lower eGFR was associated with progressively higher dementia incidence rates, from 6.56/1000 person-years in those with eGFR 90-104 ml/min, to 30.28/1000 person-years in those with eGFR less than 30 ml/min.

Further, a higher dementia risk was associated with a lower eGFR when compared to an eGFR of 90-104 ml/min, as well as a steep decline in eGFR within 1 year that is greater than 2 ml/min/1.73 m2/year. Vascular dementia had stronger risk magnitudes than Alzheimer. An eGFR less than 60 ml/min/1.73 m2 accounts for up to 10% of dementia cases (95% CI, 6-14%). This is higher than other dementia risk factors, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

“Both lower kidney function and steeper kidney function decline are associated with the development of dementia,” the researchers concluded.

—Leigh Precopio

Reference:

Xu H, Garcia-Ptacek S, Trevisan M, et al. Kidney function, kidney function decline, and the risk of dementia in older adults: a registry-based study. Neurology. Published online May 5, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000012113