ODENSE, Denmark, March 1 (UPI) -- While there are risks for older people who have surgery, researchers in Denmark found in a large study of twins the risk for cognitive impairment does not increase because of anesthesia.
The finding is significant because some people over age 65 opt against surgeries that may improve their quality of life because of other health risks.
Postoperative cognitive dysfunction is normal for a few weeks after surgery, but researchers were unsure whether it turns into long-term memory loss as a result of surgery and anesthesia interacting with other health conditions.
"It is important to know whether surgery and anesthesia have any negative effects, especially with regard to preoperative counseling of the patient," Unni Dokkedal, a researcher at the University of Southern Denmark, said in a press release. "This research has the potential to become a key piece of this very complex research puzzle."
For the study, published in the journal Anesthesiology, …
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