Does general anesthesia increase dementia risk?

Date:
October 7, 2020
Source:
Wiley
Summary:
There are concerns that exposure to general anesthesia during
surgery may contribute to an increased risk of Alzheimer's
disease. To investigate, researchers compared exposure to general
anesthesia versus regional anesthesia during elective surgery,
looking for potential links to the development of dementia.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== There are concerns that exposure to general anesthesia during surgery may contribute to an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease. To investigate, researchers compared exposure to general anesthesia versus regional
anesthesia during elective surgery, looking for potential links to the development of dementia.


==========================================================================
The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society study included 7,499
matched pairs of community-dwelling individuals aged 66 years or older
who underwent surgery between 2007 and 2011 and were followed for up to
5 years.

The investigators found no difference in risk of being diagnosed with
dementia for individuals who received general anesthesia when compared
with those who received regional anesthesia.

"Many older adults experience changes in their cognition immediately
following surgery and wonder what role the type of anesthetic might have
played in these changes," said senior author Dallas P. Seitz, MD, PhD,
FRCPC, of the University of Calgary, in Canada. "Our study provides
evidence that anesthetic technique used during elective surgeries,
general anesthesia or regional anesthesia is not associated with a
long-term risk of developing dementia."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Wiley. Note: Content may be edited
for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Clive Velkers, Miles Berger, Sudeep S. Gill, Roderic Eckenhoff,
Heather
Stuart, Marlo Whitehead, Peter C. Austin, Paula A. Rochon,
Dallas Seitz.

Association Between Exposure to General Versus Regional Anesthesia
and Risk of Dementia in Older Adults. Journal of the American
Geriatrics Society, 2020; DOI: 10.1111/jgs.16834 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201007085630.htm

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