Harvard Study Links Major Surgery to Memory Loss in Some Patients

ANBAR, Iraq — Harvard University researchers have found that certain major surgeries may be linked to cognitive decline, particularly accelerated memory loss, in older patients. The study tracked 560 people in their 70s who had undergone hip replacement or abdominal surgery and showed no pre-surgery signs of dementia. Over six years of monitoring, researchers observed that 25 percent of participants experienced no cognitive changes, 60 percent showed mild decline, and 15 percent suffered sharp deterioration within one month of surgery. The rapid cognitive decline was associated with post-surgery delirium, according to the study findings. Researchers suggest that surgical stress and inflammation may affect the brain, or that surgery could unmask pre-existing but undetected cognitive decline. The researchers noted the study is observational and does not establish direct causation between surgery and cognitive decline.