Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36859243›Full record

ArticleBMC neurology2023

Associations between parenthood and dementia in men and women: biology or confounding?

Saima Basit, Jan Wohlfahrt, Heather A Boyd

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC neurology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
4.6field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Causal effects of reproductive traits on cognitive function: A two-sample and multivariable mendelian randomization study.International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics · 2026
    Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Saima BasitDepartment of Epidemiology Research, Statens Serum Institut, Artillerivej 5, Copenhagen, Denmark. bai@ssi.dk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3646-2982
Jan WohlfahrtDepartment of Epidemiology Research, Statens Serum Institut, Artillerivej 5, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Heather A BoydDepartment of Epidemiology Research, Statens Serum Institut, Artillerivej 5, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Statens Serum Institut · DK

Funding

Danish Council for Independent Research DFF-4092-00213
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHigh parity and extremes of age at first birth have been linked with increased dementia risk in women, with exposure to pregnancy-associated physiological changes proposed as an explanation. However, confounding by socioeconomic and lifestyle factors could also produce such associations, whereby men would share similar patterns of association. We investigated whether these associations hold for both sexes.

methodsIn a cohort study including all women (N = 2,222,638) and men (N = 2,141,002) ≥ 40 years of age in 1994-2017 in Denmark, we used Cox regression to evaluate associations between number of children, age at first birth, and dementia risk separately for women and men.

resultsDuring follow-up, 81,413 women and 53,568 men (median age at diagnosis, 83.3 and 80.3 years, respectively) developed dementia. Compared with having one child, having two or more children was associated with modest decreases in overall dementia risk in both sexes (hazard ratio [HR] range 0.82-0.91, P

conclusionsAssociations between number of children, age at becoming a parent, and dementia risk were similar for both sexes. Lifestyle and socioeconomic factors are more likely to explain the observed associations than normal pregnancy-related physiological changes.

Indexed as

DementiaMultiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1BiologyChildCohort StudiesFemaleHumansLife StyleMalePregnancyAlzheimer’s diseaseDementiaEpidemiologyParityPregnancyVascular dementia

Identifiers

PMID36859243
PMCPMC9976501
OpenAlexW4322744483

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.