Cognitive impairment among the elderly suffering from non-communicable diseases.

Abstract

Introduction: There is increasing evidence that cognitive impairment is highly prevalent in all chronic NCDs, especially in the ageing population. Cognitive impairment negatively impacts the course, treatment, and prognosis of the disease. A better understanding of the relationship between cognitive impairment and chronic NCDs may result in better self-management, adherence to therapy, and improved quality of life. With this background, this study was planned to assess the prevalence of cognitive impairment among elderly NCD patients.

Methods: This clinic-based cross-sectional observational study included elderly patients (more than 60 years) coming to the NCD clinic of the urban health centre of Kalyanpuri, East Delhi. Cognitive impairment was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA), with a score < 26 indicating cognitive impairment. Data were collected by the interview method, and data analysis was carried out in SPSS and MS-Excel.

Results: The prevalence of cognitive impairment among various NCDs was Hypertension (57.2%), Diabetes (60.5%), Thyroid disorder (44.1%), Chronic respiratory disease (64.3%), coronary artery disease (50.0%), Dyslipidaemia, and others (38.9%). 

Discussions: Our study clearly shows the high prevalence of cognitive impairment in elderly NCD patients. More than half of the study subjects showed increased prevalence of cognitive impairment, which emphasizes the screening of NCD patients in a regular basis to identify early case of mild cognitive impairment.

Keywords: Elderly, MoCA, Cognitive Impairment.