title: Cognitive status in persons with amalgam-related complaints.
abstract: Self-reported cognitive symptoms are frequent in persons with amalgam-related complaints, but few studies have focused on their cognitive function. The aim was to examine a symptom profile and whether participants with amalgam-related complaints have cognitive deficits in comparison with control individuals. We drew 342 participants with amalgam-related complaints and 342 one-to-one matched control individuals from a longitudinal population-based study. For 81 of the participants with amalgam-related complaints and controls, data were available approximately five years before the onset of complaints, making a longitudinal analysis possible. All participants were assessed by a self-reported health questionnaire and a comprehensive cognitive test battery. The participants with amalgam-related complaints reported more symptoms, mainly musculoskeletal and neuropsychological, compared with control individuals (p < 0.001). The results revealed no significant difference between the amalgam and control group, either cross-sectionally or longitudinally, for any of the cognitive tests. These results suggest that cognitive decline is not associated with amalgam-related complaints.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Population Studies/Ageing and Living Conditions Programme, SE-90187, Sweden. anna.sundstrom@psy.umu.se
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sundström
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bergdahl
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nyberg
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bergdahl
authors.forename: L-G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Nilsson
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003723:Dental Amalgam / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D008628:Mercury / Q000009:adverse effects; D008875:Middle Aged; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012647:Self-Assessment; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D003723:Dental Amalgam; D008628:Mercury