Airflow limitation is associated with higher dementia risk
Normal pulmonary function showed an adjusted hazard ratio of 0.62 for dementia compared with airflow limitation, while moderate obstruction showed an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.87.
Journal of Alzheimer's Disease
In a nationwide cohort of 15,854 South Korean adults aged 40 and older, researchers investigated whether spirometry-defined obstructive airflow limitation associates with incident dementia and disability burden. They linked national health survey records from 2014 to 2021 with health insurance claims through 2023. Airflow limitation was defined as an FEV1/FVC ratio under 0.70.
During follow-up, 760 participants developed dementia. Normal pulmonary function was associated with lower dementia risk compared to airflow limitation (aHR, 0.62). Within the normal range, higher FEV1/FVC tertiles showed progressively lower risks, dropping to an aHR of 0.45 in the highest tertile. Among adults with airflow limitation, dementia risk rose with obstruction severity, reaching an aHR of 1.87 for moderate limitation. Higher severity also correlated with increased dementia-related years lived with disability.
Why it matters
The findings suggest that impaired respiratory function may contribute to neurodegenerative vulnerability in aging populations. Assessing lung function with spirometry could aid in dementia risk stratification and brain health monitoring.
Caveats
The observational design relied on administrative insurance claims to detect dementia and cannot establish causality. In addition, the findings are based solely on adults in South Korea.
The paper
Kyung Hee University
Journal of Alzheimer's Disease · 28 Sep 2026