Even mild cognitive impairment is linked to life expectancy, research shows

Cognitive impairment, including that detected at an early stage, is a significant indicator of decreased life expectancy, scientists have said.

Research published in journal Annals of Internal Medicine, found that when moderate or severe, cognitive impairment can have an impact on life expectancy similar to chronic conditions such as diabetes or heart failure.

Furthermore, it was revealed that even mild cognitive impairment has a "strong impact" as to how long the individual will live, in a similar way to other chronic conditions.

Greg A Sachs, investigator from the Regenstrief Institute, said: "Previous studies have associated cognitive impairment with an increased risk for death, but most of this work focused on patients with Alzheimer disease and subjects in research centres. The patients in our study better reflect the general public, displaying no indications of disease or mild, moderate or severe cognitive impairment."

In other news, a memory fitness programme has been seen to improve cognition in older adults, according to research published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

The scheme was seen to improve the ability of older individuals to recognise and recall words.

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