Association of of noncommunicable diseases on cognitive functioning: A comparative study

Aim: To compare the level of cognitive functioning among those with and without noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Methodology: Using a cross-sectional study design, 104 patients attending the NCD clinic of a community rural health center and 101 elderly participants attending the hospital as caregivers of patients coming to the same community clinic with different ailments, were assessed on Hindi Mental State Examination (HMSE), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale. Results: Those with NCD performed poorly on all the domains of HMSE except orientation and registration. When the HMSE score of <25 was used to categorize the sample into those with and without cognitive impairment (CI), it was seen that the prevalence of CI was more among those with NCDs. The significant difference between the two groups persisted, even after controlling for age, gender, the income of the family, number of years of education, type of family, socioeconomic status, mean score of PHQ-9, and mean score of GAD-7. Conclusion: NCDs are negatively associated with cognitive functioning even after controlling for age, gender, the income of the family, number of years of education, type of family, socioeconomic status, mean score of PHQ-9, and mean score of GAD-7.