Abstract
Purpose: :
To determine whether relinquishing cognitive, physical, and social activities increases the risk of cognitive decline in patients with age-related macular degeneration.
Methods: :
Three year longitudinal study of 206 nondemented patients with AMD.
Results: :
23 subjects (14.4%) declined cognitively. At baseline, they had relinquished significantly more cognitive, physical or social activties than subjects who remained cognitively stable (p=.0001). Subjects who had dropped 4 or 5 activities were 8.2 times more likely to decline than those who had dropped no or only one activity. Number of dropped activities was a powerful predictor of cognitive decline after controlling for relevant risk factors.
Conclusions: :
Relinquishing valued activities increases the risk of cognitive decline in older patients with vision loss due to AMD. These data emphasize the importance of promoting optimal cognitive and physical health in patients with AMD and perhaps other chronic diseases.
Keywords: quality of life • age-related macular degeneration