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Aging with multiple sclerosis: prevalence and profile of cognitive impairment

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A Correction to this article was published on 12 November 2019

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Abstract

Background

The increase in life expectancy of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) requires a better knowledge of disease features in the older patients group.

Objective

To describe the prevalence and profile of cognitive impairment (CI) in older patients with MS and perform a comparison with younger patients.

Methods

Patients were consecutively recruited for 6 months. Cognitive performance was assessed through the Brief Repeatable Battery and the Stroop Test. CI was defined as impairment in ≥ 2 cognitive domains.

Results

We identified 111 patients older than 55 years (mean age 59.7 years). The prevalence of CI was 77.4%, which was significantly higher than in younger patients (42.8%; p < 0.01). Information processing speed was the most impaired domain (68.8%), followed by verbal learning (49.5%), executive function (47.7%), and visuospatial learning (26.6%). We found no significant differences in the prevalence of impairment in the distinct cognitive domains between older and younger patients with CI. Depression and fatigue were not associated with increased CI among patients in the older age group (p > 0.70).

Conclusion

There is a remarkably high frequency of CI in older patients with MS. The similar profile of CI between older and younger patients suggests that CI is mostly directly related to MS itself and not to comorbid age-related disorders.

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Change history

  • 12 November 2019

    The above article was published online with an error in author name’s affiliation. The Author Claudia Niccolai has changed her affiliation to IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Florence, Italy.

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Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neurology Department, Centro Hospitalar de Entre Douro e Vouga, Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal

    Mariana Branco & Luis Ruano

  2. Departamento de Epidemiologia Clínica Medicina Preditiva e Saúde Pública, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Mariana Branco & Luis Ruano

  3. EPIUnit, Instituto de Saúde Pública, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Luis Ruano

  4. SOC Neurologia - Firenze, AUSL Toscana Centro, Florence, Italy

    Emilio Portaccio & Benedetta Goretti

  5. Department NEUROFARBA, Section Neurosciences, University of Florence, Largo Brambilla 3, 50134, Florence, Italy

    Benedetta Goretti, Claudia Niccolai & Maria Pia Amato

  6. University of Catania, Catania, Italy

    Francesco Patti & Clara Chisari

  7. University of Padova, Padova, Italy

    Paolo Gallo & Paola Grossi

  8. Department, ASST Crema, Neuroimmunology Center, Cardiocerebrovascular, Crema, Italy

    Paola Grossi

  9. Gallarate Hospital, Varese, Italy

    Angelo Ghezzi & Marco Roscio

  10. ASST Spedali Civili Brescia Neuropsychology Unit, Brescia, Italy

    Flavia Mattioli & Fabio Bellomi

  11. Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Child and Adolescence Neuropsychiatry Unit, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University “Aldo Moro” Bari, Bari, Italy

    Marta Simone

  12. University of Bari, Bari, Italy

    Rosa Gemma Viterbo

  13. IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Florence, Italy

    Maria Pia Amato

Authors
  1. Mariana Branco
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  2. Luis Ruano
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  3. Emilio Portaccio
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  4. Benedetta Goretti
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  5. Claudia Niccolai
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  6. Francesco Patti
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  7. Clara Chisari
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  8. Paolo Gallo
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  9. Paola Grossi
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  14. Marta Simone
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  15. Rosa Gemma Viterbo
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  16. Maria Pia Amato
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maria Pia Amato.

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All the enrolled patients provided informed consent and the study was approved by the ethical committees of all recruiting institutions.

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

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Branco, M., Ruano, L., Portaccio, E. et al. Aging with multiple sclerosis: prevalence and profile of cognitive impairment. Neurol Sci 40, 1651–1657 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-019-03875-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-019-03875-7

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