The Influence of Body Mass Index at Diagnosis on Cognitive Decline in Parkinson's Disease
10.3988/jcn.2019.15.4.517
- Author:
Han Soo YOO
1
;
Seok Jong CHUNG
;
Phil Hyu LEE
;
Young H SOHN
;
Suk Yun KANG
Author Information
1. Department of Neurology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
body mass index;
cognitive decline;
neuropsychological test;
Parkinson disease;
Parkinson's disease dementia
- MeSH:
Body Mass Index;
Cognition;
Dementia;
Diagnosis;
Follow-Up Studies;
Humans;
Memory;
Neuropsychological Tests;
Overweight;
Parkinson Disease
- From:Journal of Clinical Neurology
2019;15(4):517-526
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Associations between alterations in body mass index (BMI) and cognitive function have been reported in Parkinson's disease (PD). We investigated whether the BMI at a PD diagnosis is associated with cognitive decline and the future development of dementia. METHODS: We recruited 70 patients with de novo PD who underwent neuropsychological testing every 3 years and were followed up for more than 6 years. We classified patients into the following three groups based on their BMI at the diagnosis: under-/normal weight (n=21), overweight (n=22), and obese (n=27). We evaluated differences in the rate of cognitive decline over time among the groups using linear mixed models and the conversion rate to dementia using survival analysis. RESULTS: The obese patients with PD showed a slower deterioration of global cognitive function as well as language and memory functions than did the under-/normal-weight group during the 6-year follow-up. The three BMI groups showed different rates of conversion to dementia (log-rank test: p=0.026). The combined overweight and obese group showed a lower risk of developing dementia compared with the under-/normal-weight group (hazard ratio= 0.36, 95% CI=0.12–0.82, p=0.046). CONCLUSIONS: We have demonstrated that a higher-than-normal BMI at the time of a PD diagnosis has a protective effect against the deterioration of cognitive function and the conversion to dementia.
