Abstract
Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is defined by cognitive complaints expressed by the individual, without evidence of cognitive impairment on objective neuropsychological tests. Studies have analyzed SCD among patients with specific groups of diseases. An increased understanding of the association between disease patterns and subjective cognitive decline is essential to develop targeted interventions for these groups. Using data from the baseline of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil), this cross-sectional study included 2,508 participants. Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD) was assessed using the Subjective Cognitive Decline Initiative Working Group's criteria. Multimorbidity (MM) was defined as the presence of two or more of 14 self-reported health conditions. Clusters of MM were identified based on the most prevalent dyads and triads of diseases within the sample. Robust Poisson regression models were used to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios (PR) for the association between MM clusters and SCD, accounting for potential confounders. The following dyads of chronic conditions were associated with higher prevalence of SCD: ophthalmological problems/osteoporosis (RR: 1.497 p=0.042), heart problems/stroke (RR: 2.33, p<.001), and hypertension />asthma (RR: 3.309, p=0.013). No triads had positive association with SCD, although the triads of ophthalmological problem/hypertension/osteoporosis (RR: 0.367, p<.001) and hypertension />cardiac problems/dyslipidemia (RR: 0.545, p=0.012) were negatively associated with the prevalence of SCD. Our study demonstrated an association between SCD and MM clusters, which is important for developing and managing care for individuals with cognitive decline and/or those multimorbidity patterns. The results could also provide a foundation for future research exploring the causality between these variables.