Anesthesia and Alzheimer & #39;s: A review

Jeffrey Y SunJournal of Anaesthesiology Clinical Pharmacology 2020 36(3):297-302 As early as 1955, it was Bedford who provided description of cognitive changes in elderly patients following anesthesia and surgery. Reports of individuals with catastrophic, non-stroke-related decline in cognitive functions following anesthesia and surgery lead to a perception in the lay population that anesthesia and surgery have the potential to greatly exaggerate the progression of dementia, particularly Alzheimer's disease (AD). There is a concern that anesthesia and surgery could cause irreversible impairment, leading to AD. This could also explain the accelerated decline in patients with mild cognitive impairment. We seek to explore the relevant literature to determine whether a correlation exists and then propose a possible pathophysiologic mechanism.
Source: Journal of Anaesthesiology Clinical Pharmacology - Category: Anesthesiology Authors: Source Type: research