Associations of Height Loss With Cognitive Decline and Incident Dementia in Adults Aged 50 Years and Older

Abstract

Abstract Background Associations of the rate of height loss (RHL) with cognitive decline and dementia in middle-aged and older adults have not been examined. Methods This study included 3 610 participants aged 50 years and older from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Standing height was measured with standardized protocols. RHL was estimated as an annualized percentage of height loss (% per year) during Waves 0–4, and was categorized into slow (<0.1%), medium (≥0.1% and <0.2%), and fast (≥0.2%). Associations between RHL and cognitive decline and incident dementia were analyzed using mixed-effects models and Cox regression models, respectively (Waves 5–9). Results There were 283 individuals identified with incident dementia over a mean follow-up of 7.21 years. Compared with participants in the slow group, those in the medium (coefficient [β] = −0.016, 95% confidence interval [CI] = −0.023 to −0.009) and fast groups (β = −0.030, 95% CI = −0.039 to −0.021) had faster declines in cognition. Faster height loss was also associated with increased risks of incident dementia (medium vs slow, hazard ratio [HR] = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.03–1.81; fast vs slow, HR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.29–2.37). Besides, associations of RHL with cognitive decline were stronger in females than in males. Conclusions Our findings indicated that rapid RHL was associated with faster declines in cognition and elevated risks of dementia. RHL may serve as an early marker of progressed neurodegeneration in middle-aged and older adults.