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Community- and population-based studies suggest that Alzheimer disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment are associated with increased mortality (N Engl J Med 2001; 344:1111 and Neurology 2002; 59:198). In this study, researchers examined the relation of cognitive impairment to mortality among consecutive patients evaluated in primary care settings. Nearly 4000 people aged 60 and older were screened with the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire. The authors identified comorbidities from electronic health records and date of death from the National Death Index.
Patients with cognitive impairment were older, less educated, and more likely to have comorbidities than those without cognitive impairment. The authors used Cox proportional ha…