The association between platelet indices, cognitive screening tests and functional dependence screening questionnaires in hospitalized older people

To investigate whether the cognitive or functional status is related to basic platelet indices in hospitalized older adults. After adjustment for multiple confounders, the Mini-Mental State Examination Scale, the seven-point Clock Drawing Test, the Katz ADL scale, the Lawton IADL scale and VES-13 are, except one weak association, not directly related to basic platelet indices measured in the routine complete blood count. The basic platelet indices measured in the routine complete blood count are not consistently associated with the cognitive and functional status evaluated by screening tests. The lack of translation of these associations in clinical use could be due to the multifaceted effect of diseases other than dementia. Activated platelets have been suggested to play an important role in the pathogenesis of dementia. Recent studies have shown contradictory results concerning the relationship between blood platelet indices and cognitive performance. This cross-sectional study evaluates the relationship between basic platelet indices and cognitive and functional performance of 754 men and women, aged 60–105 years old, admitted to the geriatric hospital unit. Assessment of global cognitive function and functional ability were performed using Mini-Mental State Examination, the seven-point Clock Drawing Test, the Katz Activities of Daily Living, the Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale and the Vulnerable Elders Survey Questionnaire. As platelet indices, platelet count, mean platelet volume, plateletcrit and platelet distribution width were measured. There was no significant correlation between cognitive performance and platelet indices. Out of the functional dependence questionnaires, only the Katz Activities of Daily Living and the Vulnerable Elders Survey Questionnaire were weakly correlated with platelet count (r = − 0.080 and r = 0.096) and plateletcrit (r = − 0.075 and 0.082, respectively), but these associations diminished in sex-specific analyses. Cognitive and functional status are not systematically related to platelet indices in multimorbid hospitalized older adults.