Admission for Major Surgery Is Associated with a Small Amount of Cognitive Aging

Is undergoing surgery associated with cognitive harm in elders? In this prospective study, researchers evaluated associations between hospital admissions and cognitive decline. Participants were 7500 British civil servants (age range, 45–69; 30% women) who underwent 1 to 5 cognitive assessments during follow-up of as long as 19 years.

After accounting for age-related cognitive trajectory, major admissions for surgery, medical conditions, or stroke (defined as admissions requiring ≥2 overnight stays) were associated with significant excess cognitive decline, equivalent to 5 months, 1.4 years, and 13 years of aging, respectively. Similar results were obtained in a subanalysis of participants who underwent ≥4 cognitive assessments. Compared wit…