It’s generally assumed that older adults may experience memory loss and other problems in cognition (reasoning) following surgery.

Results from a study at Washington University, in St. Louis, Missouri suggest otherwise.

First, the details.

• The medical records of 575 older adults, some with very mild or mild dementia were reviewed.
• They were divided into 3 groups.
  • Those with noncardiac surgery
  • With illness
  • Neither
• They were followed long-term for cognitive function before and after surgery and illness.

And, the results.

• Changes in cognition didn’t differ among the 3 groups.
• However, demented participants declined more markedly than nondemented participants.
• Of the initially nondemented participants, 23% progressed to dementia; but this wasn’t more common after surgery or illness.

The bottom line?
Dr. John Morris concluded, “There has been a widespread belief that the memory and thinking abilities of patients with early Alzheimer’s disease may worsen as a consequence of surgery, but the evidence from this study does not support that belief.”

11/21/09 20:15 JR