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Cognitive impairment and dementia occur commonly in patients with Parkinson disease (PD), but whether cognitive impairment can be a prodromal sign that sometimes precedes PD diagnosis is less clear. In this population-based study, researchers in the Netherlands identified 7386 Rotterdam residents (age, ≥55; mean age, 65) with neither dementia nor parkinsonism and followed them carefully for a median of 8 years. At baseline, all participants underwent standardized cognitive assessments, and global scores were derived from several cognitive test scores.
During follow-up, 79 participants developed parkinsonism, most of whom received diagnoses of probable PD. Cognitive dysfunction (i.e., having a global score below age- and sex-specific norms) a…