News Report | July 28, 2019
Multiple Chronic Conditions Can Hasten Cognitive Decline
Living with multiple chronic conditions (i.e., multimorbidity) can hasten cognitive decline. This cognitive decline includes faster declines in global cognition, immediate recall, and working memory.
These findings were reported in “Multimorbidity and Cognitive Decline Over 14 Years in Older Americans” by Melissa Y. Wei, M.D., MPH, MS; Deborah A. Levine, M.D., MPH; Laura B. Zahodne, Ph.D.; Mohammed U. Kabeto, MS; and Kenneth M. Langa, M.D., Ph.D. Researchers Dr. Wei and Kenneth Mukamal, M.D., developed the Multimorbidity-Weighted Index (MWI), which measures a person’s cumulative chronic conditions and the impact of these conditions . . .