Cognitive Functioning of Geriatric Patients: Is Hypovitaminosis D the Next Marker of Cognitive Dysfunction and Dementia?

Abstract

The study objective is to investigate whether vitamin D is associated with the cognitive function of geriatric patients. This cross-sectional study involved 357 patients hospitalized in the geriatric ward who complained of memory problems (mean age: 82.3 years). The level of cognitive function was measured with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the clinical diagnosis of dementia was established according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) criteria. The serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D was measured with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The iterative Bayesian model averaging (BMA) procedure was applied to linear and logistic regression models in order to identify the best set of factors describing cognitive dysfunction and dementia, respectively. According to BMA, there is strong evidence that higher vitamin D levels, higher body mass index (BMI), and higher mobility function measured with the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test are independently associated with better cognitive performance and lower risk of dementia. Additionally, there is strong evidence that fewer years of education and lower vitamin B12 plasma levels independently describe worse cognitive performance. However, vitamin B12 levels higher than 800 pg/mL is negatively associated with the MMSE performance. Hypovitaminosis D in geriatric patients is an underrated marker of cognitive dysfunction and dementia.

Sociodemographic and Health-Related Factors Associated with Severity of Cognitive Impairment in Elderly Patients Hospital-ized in a Geriatric Clinic

“…Considering the body mass index of patients, higher BMI was correlated with a lower probability of having more severe cognitive disorders and this outcome is consistent with a recent study of geriatric patients’ cognitive impairment [ 31 ]. Dye et al [ 32 ] confirm that obesity is associated with impairment of cognitive functions, their accelerated deterioration and dementia in later life.…”

Non-Skeletal Activities of Vitamin D: From Physiology to Brain Pathology

“…This is especially apparent in relation to the studies evaluating 25(OH)D 3 serum levels in AD. Substantial evidence shows that vitamin D deficiency is associated with cognitive impairment [70,71,72,73], and an association between low 25(OH)D 3 serum levels and the risk of developing AD has been reported by several authors [54,74,75,76,77]. However, many studies, including those with a long-term follow-up longitudinal design, reported conflicting results [78,79,80].…”

Low Vitamin D and Its Association with Cognitive Impairment and Dementia

“…e active form, 1,25(OH)D, binds to the vitamin D receptor (VDR) and influences gene expression. Vitamin D exerts its action via VDR present in neurons, glial cells of the hippocampus, orbitofrontal-cortex, cingulate, amygdala, and thalamus [5][6][7]. Its neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effect on neurons promotes brain health [8][9][10].…”