Risk of dementia and related neurocognitive disorders among autistic and non-autistic older adults: role of established risk factors.

Background Neurocognitive disorders (i.e. dementia) are a leading cause of cognitive decline and loss of independence among older adults. While reported rates are higher among autistic adults, it is unclear whether this disparity persists after accounting for known risk factors. Objective We compare...

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Publicado en:Age & Ageing Vol. 55; no. 2; pp. 1 - 10
Autores principales: Nikahd, Melica, Hyer, Madison, Wolf, Beth, Patterson, Brian, Bishop, Lauren, Hand, Brittany
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Oxford University Press / USA Feb2026
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Feb2026
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      pub: Oxford University Press / USA
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        10.1093/ageing/afag015
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        atl: Risk of dementia and related neurocognitive disorders among autistic and non-autistic older adults: role of established risk factors.
      aug:
        au:
          Nikahd, Melica
          Hyer, Madison
          Wolf, Beth
          Patterson, Brian
          Bishop, Lauren
          Hand, Brittany
        affil:
          Center for Biostatistics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
          Division of Biostatistics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
          Berbee Walsh Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
          Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USASandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
          Division of General Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
      su:
        United States
        Autism
        Hypertension
        Smoking
        Medicare
        Retrospective studies
        Intellectual disabilities
        Alcoholism
        Mental depression
        Obesity
        Old age
        Dementia risk factors
        Cognition disorder risk factors
        Risk assessment
        Hypercholesteremia
        Statistical significance
        Research funding
        Questionnaires
        Descriptive statistics
        Longitudinal method
        Medical records
        Acquisition of data
        Type 2 diabetes
        Asperger's syndrome
        Hearing disorders
        Brain injuries
        Data analysis software
        Disease complications
      sug:
        subj:
          Autism
          Hypertension
          Smoking
          Medicare
          Retrospective studies
          Intellectual disabilities
          Alcoholism
          Mental depression
          Obesity
          Old age
          United States
          Administration of Human Resource Programs (except Education, Public Health, and Veterans' Affairs Programs)
          Dementia risk factors
          Cognition disorder risk factors
          Risk assessment
          Hypercholesteremia
          Statistical significance
          Research funding
          Questionnaires
          Descriptive statistics
          Longitudinal method
          Medical records
          Acquisition of data
          Type 2 diabetes
          Asperger's syndrome
          Hearing disorders
          Brain injuries
          Data analysis software
          Disease complications
      keyword:
        ageing
        autism
        autistic disorder
        copyrightHolder:British Geriatrics Society
        copyrightYear:2026
        dementia
        https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afag015
        inLanguage:en
        medicare
        neurocognitive disorders
        older adult
        older people
        publisher:Oxford University Press
        sameAs:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41638232/
        ageing
        autism
        autistic disorder
        copyrightHolder:British Geriatrics Society
        copyrightYear:2026
        dementia
        https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afag015
        inLanguage:en
        medicare
        neurocognitive disorders
        older adult
        older people
        publisher:Oxford University Press
        sameAs:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41638232/
      ab: Background Neurocognitive disorders (i.e. dementia) are a leading cause of cognitive decline and loss of independence among older adults. While reported rates are higher among autistic adults, it is unclear whether this disparity persists after accounting for known risk factors. Objective We compared neurocognitive disorder risk between autistic and non-autistic older adults after adjusting for known risk factors and evaluated whether risk factors moderated this disparity. We replicated our analyses among subsets of autistic older adults with and without co-occurring intellectual disability (ID). Design Retrospective longitudinal cohort study. Setting National Medicare Standard Analytical Files (2013–21). Participants The sample included 9201 autistic and 18 356 non-autistic older adults aged 65 or older, who were matched on demographic and clinical characteristics. Methods Our dependent variable was time to neurocognitive disorder, defined as years between age 65 or older and the date of first diagnosis. Results Autistic older adults had a 20% higher adjusted risk of neurocognitive disorders than non-autistic older adults (95% CI = 14%–25%; P  < .001). Risk was highest among autistic adults with co-occurring ID [adjusted subhazard ratio (SHR) = 1.46; 95% CI = 1.36–1.57]. The disparity between cohorts was amplified in the presence of most known risk factors, notably hypertension (SHR = 2.04; 95% CI = 1.79–2.32), high cholesterol (SHR = 1.60; 95% CI = 1.46–1.75), depression (SHR = 1.52; 95% CI = 1.42–1.62), and type 2 diabetes (SHR = 1.45; 95% CI = 1.36–1.55). Conclusions Autistic older adults, particularly those with ID, face significantly higher risk of neurocognitive disorders even after adjusting for known risk factors. These findings emphasise that risk factors may impact the autistic population differently and highlight the need for early screening and tailored prevention strategies.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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