What are the predictors of cognitive decline and mortality in a general aged population over a 10-year period?
Age, APOE4, manifest vascular diseases, and diabetes are strong predictors of cognitive decline and mortality in individuals aged 75 and older.
Long follow-up of a general aged population explains several inconsistencies of earlier reports. In 75+ individuals, general ill health is a strong associate of cognitive deficits. The strongest predictors of both cognitive decline and mortality are age, APOE4, manifest vascular diseases, and diabetes. The role of new potential predictors, feelings of loneliness and hypercalcemia, needs clinical testing.
Tilvis et al. (2004) studied this question.
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