Aging with multiple sclerosis: prevalence and profile of cognitive impairment

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.

Correction to: Neurological Sciences (2019) 40:1651–1657

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

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.