Cognitive impairment of acute onset in the Consortium to Investigate Vascular Impairment of Cognition (CIVIC) study: Occurrence, correlates, and outcomes

Objective: Having demonstrated that dementia of acute onset represents a distinct syndrome with distinct outcomes, the authors investigated whether similar attributes describe cognitive impairment of acute onset (CIAO). Methods: The authors conducted a secondary analysis of the Consortium to Investigate Vascular Impairment of Cognition study. Results: Ninety patients met our criteria for CIAO. Compared with cognitive impairment of gradual onset, CIAO was associated with vascular features (odds ratio [OR]: 12.3, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.2-47.9), dementias other than Alzheimer disease (OR: 6.5, 95% CI: 2.1-20.8), and decreased survival (hazard ratio: 2.8, 95% CI: 1.6-4.6). Conclusions: Patients with CIAO are clinically identifiable and have distinct outcomes.