The Impact of Inflammation on Cognitive Function in Older Adults: Implications for Healthcare Practice and Research

Overview

Journal J Neurosci Nurs

Specialties Neurology
Neurosurgery
Nursing

Date 2012 Jun 30

PMID 22743812

Citations 139

Authors

Andrea C Sartori

David E Vance

Larry Z Slater

Michael Crowe

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Accumulating evidence suggests that levels of inflammation, an immune response, increase with age throughout the body and the brain. The effects of inflammation on the brain, both acute and chronic, have been associated with cognitive decline and risk of dementia in older adults. Factors believed to increase inflammation include certain health-related behaviors, such as smoking, poor diet, and inactivity as well as health conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, most of which require medical intervention and monitoring. As such, nurses and healthcare professionals are likely to encounter patients who are at a high risk for future development of inflammation-related cognitive decline. A review of inflammatory processes and their relation to cognitive function in older adults is provided, along with factors that may increase or reduce inflammation. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

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