HealthDay (1/20, Preidt) reports that research published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings suggests “receiving general anesthesia for surgery after age 40 doesn’t appear to raise the risk for mild thinking and memory problems later in life.” Investigators “followed more than 1,700 people in Minnesota, aged 70 to 89, who had normal mental function when the study began.” Approximately “85 percent of the participants had at least one surgery requiring general anesthesia after age 40.”
HCP Live (1/20, Colwell) reports that during the “follow-up period, 31% of the participants developed” mild cognitive impairment (MCI). But, the research “showed no association between MCI incidence and having any anesthesia vs no anesthesia or between the number of exposures or the total cumulative duration of exposure.”
Related Links:
— “Anesthesia After 40 Not Linked to Mental Decline Later, Study Finds,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, January 20, 2016.