The Impact of Low Hemoglobin Levels on Cognitive Brain Functions

Abstract

The prevalence of dementia is around 5% worldwide in people above 65 years, which increases with aging. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly. On the other hand, anemia is considered one of the most prevalent comorbidities in the elderly with a prevalence of 11% in those above the age of 65. It is crucial that we find the association between anemia and dementia, as this linkage can prove beneficial. Many currently conducted studies support the idea that anemia is a significant risk factor for dementia. However, some studies still consider anemia and dementia as just an aging process, nothing more. In our study, we found that there are a lot of theories, such as low brain hemoglobin associated with low oxygen levels, which leads to neuron damage. One article mentioned that it is dependent on the level of hemoglobin as an effect with mild to moderate anemia, but apparent with severe forms of it. Researchers are expected to further explore and identify the exact relationship between anemia and dementia. We used the PubMed database as the principal source for data search and extracted articles exploring the relationship and role of anemia in decreasing the cognitive brain functions in the elderly. We reviewed 35 different articles, including clinical trials, review papers, randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and original research published between 2010 and 2020 to find commonly accepted pathophysiology that highlights how anemia causes a decrease in cognitive brain functions.