This study investigates whether older adults diagnosed with the apathy, gait impairment, and executive dysfunction (AGED) triad, frequently associated with cerebrovascular disease and confounded with depression, have earlier dementia onset. We followed 322 community-dwelling older individuals (mean age 72.0 ± 6.4 years; 58.3% women) free of dementia at baseline for up to 9 years. The AGED triad was identified when gait slowness (< 1 m/s), apathy (assessed by Geriatric Depression Scale-3A with ≥ 2 items), and executive dysfunction (assessed by the 75th percentile of Trail Making Test-part B by age range) were simultaneously present. Incident dementia was diagnosed using the clinical dementia rating scale. Over the 9-year follow-up (mean 45.1 ± 28.6 months), 44 participants (13.6%) converted to dementia. Sixteen participants (5.0%) were diagnosed with AGED triad + and showed a significantly higher risk of earlier conversion to dementia compared with AGED triad- (hazard ratio = 5.08, 95%CI 2.16–11.97; p = 0.0001), as well as to those with only one AGED factor or fewer AGED factors. Hypertension and diabetes were 2 and 3 times more prevalent, respectively, in individuals with AGED triad + . These findings suggest that the AGED triad serves as a simplified and effective behavioral marker for accelerated progression to dementia.

本研究调查了被诊断患有冷漠、步态障碍和执行功能障碍 （AGED） 三联征的老年人是否更早地患痴呆，这些三联征通常与脑血管疾病相关并与抑郁症混淆。我们跟踪了 322 名社区居住的老年人 （平均年龄 72.0 ± 6.4 岁;58.3% 的女性） 在长达 9 年的基线时没有痴呆。当步态缓慢 （< 1 m/s）、冷漠 （通过老年抑郁量表 3A 评估，≥ 2 项）和执行功能障碍 （由小径制作测试 B 部分的第 75 个百分位数评估时，确定 AGED 三联征按年龄范围划分）。使用临床痴呆评定量表诊断新发痴呆。在 9 年的随访中 （平均 45.1 ± 28.6 个月），44 名参与者 （13.6%） 转化为 痴呆。16 名参与者 （5.0%） 被诊断为 AGED 三联征 + ，与 AGED 三联征相比，早期转化为痴呆的风险显着更高 - （风险比 = 5.08,95% CI 2.16-11.97;p = 0.0001），以及只有一个 AGED 因子或更少 AGED 因子的因子。高血压和糖尿病在 AGED triad + 个体中的患病率分别高 2 倍和 3 倍。这些发现表明，AGED 三联征是加速进展为痴呆的简化和有效的行为标志物。