The following is a summary of “Midlife stress-related exhaustion and dementia incidence: a longitudinal study over 50 years in women,” published in the July 2024 issue of Psychiatry by Guo et al.

Cognitive issues frequently occur in people with stress-related exhaustion but remain unclear, with an increased risk of developing dementia in the future.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study exploring the connection between midlife stress-related exhaustion and the occurrence of dementia.

They monitored 777 women (ages 38, 46, 50, and 54) without dementia at the outset over 50 years (1968 to 2019). Stress-related exhaustion was assessed using data from psychiatric evaluations (1968/69). Information regarding dementia incidence from 1968 to 2019 was gathered through neuropsychiatric assessments, key-informant interviews, and hospital records. Dementia diagnoses were made based on DSM-III-R criteria. Additionally, a subgroup of non-demented women (n = 284) underwent cognitive function assessment using the Gottfries-Brane-Steen scale 24 years after the initial evaluation.

The result showed midlife stress-related exhaustion linked to an increased risk of developing dementia before the age of 75, with an HR of 2.95 (95% CI: 1.35–6.44). A similar association persisted after controlling for age, major depression, and anxiety disorder. Women with stress-related exhaustion experienced an earlier onset of dementia compared to women without stress, with mean ages of onset of 76 ± 9 years vs. 82 ± 8 years (P=0.009). Additionally, women who experienced stress-related exhaustion in midlife exhibited more cognitive impairments 24 years later compared to women without stress, with an OR of 2.64 (95% CI: 1.15–6.06).

Investigators concluded that midlife stress-related exhaustion in women increased the risk of earlier dementia and ongoing cognitive decline, warranting careful interpretation due to the small sample size and the need for long-term cognitive monitoring.

Source: bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-024-05868-z