Sepsis and Cognitive

Sepsis and Cognitive and Functional Impairment
In an analysis of data from a subset of participants in the Health and Retirement
Study—a nationally representative and longitudinal survey of older community-dwelling
adults—who had baseline assessments of cognitive and functional status and whose survey
data were linked with Medicare claims information, Iwashyna and colleagues found
that an incident episode of severe sepsis was independently associated with substantial
and persistent new cognitive impairment and functional disability. In an editorial, Angus
discusses the longer-term consequences of sepsis and implications for patient care and
research.