Decreased kidney function is associated with decreased cognitive
functioning in areas such as global cognitive ability, abstract reasoning and
verbal memory, according to a study led by Temple Univ. This is the first study
describing change in multiple domains of cognitive functioning in order to
determine which specific abilities are most affected in individuals with
impaired renal function.
Researchers from Temple, Univ. of
Maine and Univ. of Maryland examined longitudinal data, five years apart, from
590 people. They wanted to see how much kidney function had changed over that
time period, and whether it was associated with how much cognitive functioning
had changed. They were interested in the overall change, but also in specific
abilities such as abstract reasoning and verbal memory.
“The brain and kidney are both
organs that are affected by the cardiovascular systems,” says the study’s lead
author, Adam Davey, associate professor of public health in Temple’s College of
Health Professions and Social Work. “They are both affected by things like
blood pressure and hypertension, so it is natural to expect that changes in one
organ are going to be linked with changes in another.”
What the researchers found was
the greater a person’s decrease in renal functioning, the greater the decrease
in overall cognitive functioning, particularly abstract reasoning and verbal
memory.
“Those two tracked together, so
this study provides us with evidence that the rate of cognitive decline is
associated with deterioration in kidney function” says Davey.
Davey says that this information
emphasizes two important points: the importance of diagnosing and managing
chronic kidney disease and the extent of decrease in cognitive functioning.
“As we get older, our kidney
function tends to decrease naturally, so if there’s an extra issue involved in
renal function like chronic kidney disease, we need to know about it as soon as
possible,” he says. “That is something that needs to be managed, just like you
would manage hypertension.”
Davey also notes that the
decrease in cognitive functioning found in the study — when compared to people
with dementia or cognitive impairment — is not so great that it would interfere
with people being able to assist in their treatment of kidney disease.
“Patients are still going to be
able to take their medicine on time and without assistance, as well as
understand the information that their physician is sharing with them about
their disease,” he says.
The researchers published their
findings in the journal Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation.
Temple Univ.
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