Lower cognitive function as a risk factor for anemia among older Japanese women from the longitudinal observation in the SONIC study.

AIM: The aging-related increase in the incidence of anemia potentially affects the mortality risk. Lower cognitive function is common among older adults, and anemia is one of the causes of cognitive decline. However, to the best of our knowledge, no study has investigated whether cognitive decline is a risk factor for anemia in older people. Therefore, in this study, we used a 3-year longitudinal evaluation to examine the association of cognitive function with anemia in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: This longitudinal study enrolled participants without anemia (diagnosed based on the World Health Organization's criteria) at baseline. Cognitive function was assessed using the Japanese version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Multiple logistic regression models were used to examine the association between cognitive function at baseline and the presence of anemia 3 years later. RESULTS: Participants were in the 69-71 and 79-81 years age groups, and 974 older people (48.6% men) were enrolled, of whom 126 (12.9%) had anemia after 3 years. After adjusting, cognitive function at baseline was associated with anemia in women, but not in men. CONCLUSIONS: Older Japanese women with lower cognitive function have an increased risk for anemia 3 years later. The adoption of a lifestyle that utilizes or improves cognitive function might be important to prevent anemia in older women. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2023; 23: 334-340.

Association of anemia and SRH in older people: the SONIC study.

AIM: The incidence of anemia increases with aging, and it is considered to affect mortality through complex pathophysiological outcomes. Although it has been suggested that self-rated health may also contribute to the prognosis of anemia in older people, the relationship between anemia and self-rated health is not well understood. This study thus examined the actual status of anemia in older community-dwelling Japanese people and clarified the relationship between anemia and self-rated health. METHODS: We conducted medical interviews, physical measurements and blood testing in 2083 people aged 69-91 years who participated in the long-term observational Septuagenarians, Octogenarians, Nonagenarians, Investigation with Centenarians (SONIC) study. Subjects were divided into two groups according to whether they had anemia. Logistic regression analyses were used to assess the relationship between anemia and self-rated health after adjusting for possible confounding factors. RESULTS: The prevalence of anemia was 22.3% in all participants, 7.2% in men and 11.6% in women aged 69-71 years, 27.4% in men and 26.3% in women aged 79-81 years, and 55.8% in men and 44.9% in women aged 89-91 years. Multivariate analysis revealed a correlation between the presence of anemia and poor self-rated health in all (odds ratio 0.67, 95% confidence interval 0.48-0.93) and aged 69-71 years (odds ratio 0.47, 95% confidence interval 0.25-0.86). CONCLUSIONS: Anemia was associated with self-rated health in older Japanese people, suggesting that careful management of anemia may contribute to health and longevity. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; ••: ••-••.

Day-to-day blood pressure variability is associated with lower cognitive performance among the Japanese community-dwelling oldest-old population: the SONIC study.

Although high blood pressure (BP) and BP variability have been reported to be associated with cognitive impairment, few studies have investigated the association between home BP (HBP) and cognitive function in the oldest-old. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the value of and the day-to-day variability in HBP was associated with cognitive function in a Japanese community-dwelling oldest-old population. Among 111 participants aged 85-87 years, cognitive function was assessed using the Japanese version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-J). HBP was measured two times every morning for a median of 30 days. The value of and variability in HBP were calculated as the average and coefficient of variation (CV) of the measurements, respectively. The associations of HBP variability with MoCA-J were examined using multiple linear regression models. Of 111 participants, 47.7% were men, and 64.0% were taking medications for hypertension. The mean HBP was 141.9 ± 14.8/72.2 ± 8.4 mmHg, and the mean CV of HBP was 6.7 ± 1.9/6.8 ± 2.4. The mean total MoCA-J score was 22.9 ± 3.5. The MoCA-J score was significantly lower with increasing CVs of both systolic BP (b = -0.36, p = 0.034) and diastolic BP (b = -0.26, p = 0.046) after adjustment for possible confounding factors. The value of HBP was not associated with MoCA-J. In the community-dwelling oldest-old population, higher day-to-day HBP variability, but not the value of HBP, was associated with cognitive impairment. When measuring HBP, attention should be paid not only to the values but also to their variations.