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. 2014 Apr 3;4(1):65-75.
doi: 10.1159/000360415. eCollection 2014 Jan.

Body Mass Index in Different Dementia Disorders: Results from the Swedish Dementia Quality Registry (SveDem)

Gerd Faxén-Irving  1 , Seyed-Mohammad Fereshtehnejad  2 , Farshad Falahati  2 , Lars Cedergren  2 , Helen Göranzon  3 , Kristine Wallman  3 , Sara García-Ptacek  4 , Maria Eriksdotter  5 , Dorota Religa  6
Affiliations

Body Mass Index in Different Dementia Disorders: Results from the Swedish Dementia Quality Registry (SveDem)

Gerd Faxén-Irving et al. Dement Geriatr Cogn Dis Extra. .

Abstract

Background: Most patients with dementia lose body weight over the course of the disease and have a lower body mass index (BMI) than subjects with normal cognition.

Aims: To examine body mass index and how it correlates with cognitive status, age and gender in patients with different dementia disorders.

Materials and methods: Data from newly diagnosed dementia patients in the Swedish Dementia Quality Registry (SveDem) and recorded information about age, gender, cognitive status and BMI was analyzed using independent samples t tests and one-way analysis of variance.

Results: A total of 12,015 patients, 7,121 females and 4,894 males were included in the study. The average BMI was 24. More than a quarter of the patients had a BMI of <22. Females were significantly older (p < 0.001) and males had a significantly higher BMI (p < 0.001) at the time of diagnosis. BMI differed significantly by gender in various dementia disorders and correlated significantly with cognitive status and age.

Conclusion: At the time of diagnosis, patients with various dementia disorders had a BMI within the normal range. However, a significant number had a BMI in a lower, suboptimal range for older persons stressing the need for nutritional assessment as part of the dementia work up. Further analyses with longitudinal follow-up are needed to investigate BMI changes over time.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Body mass index; Cognitive status; Dementia; Quality registry.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Relationship between BMI and MMSE in all registered dementia patients. Correlation coefficient = 0.065, p < 0.001.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Frequency of different levels of cognitive impairment (based on the MMSE score) in the different categories of BMI.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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