Accumulating evidence from small-scale studies suggests that people with immune mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) have an increased risk of cognitive impairment (CI), but limited data are available from population studies. CI enormously impacts quality of life, but at present there is little understanding of the magnitude of CI or which sociodemographic, biological and medical factors are associated with CI in the IMIDs, meaning there is no research to direct intervention development. The IMIDs in this study are: rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, axial spondyloarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease.
This analysis of the UK-Biobank dataset will be the largest study of CI in the IMIDs, providing the first definitive evidence of the extent of CI in this group. Furthermore, risk factors for CI identified within this project can be used to direct intervention development.
This will be the largest assessment of cognitive impairment in the IMIDs to date, providing an accurate description of cognitive impairment in these conditions, leading to it becoming a recognised symptom of the IMIDs. Furthermore, identifying factors that are linked with cognitive impairment could pave the way for the development of interventions to improve or prevent cognitive impairment in the IMIDs. Lastly, if lifestyle is linked with cognitive impairment in the IMIDs, this will provide motivation for positive health behaviour changes.