Carol General anesthesia doesn’t “cause dementia,” but it can be associated with postoperative cognitive dysfunction, especially in older adults or after major surgery. Knowing the risks, optimizing anesthesia plans, and protecting brain health before and after surgery all matter. #BrainHealth #AnesthesiaCare #CognitiveHealth #PatientEducation #doctorexplains | Zachary Meade

Does general anesthesia increase your risk for dementia? The short answer is no, this is a myth. But let’s break down where the confusion comes from. After surgery, especially in people over 65, postoperative delirium (temporary confusion or memory issues) can occur. This is not dementia. Delirium usually resolves in days to weeks. For some patients, anesthesia may ‘unmask’ undiagnosed dementia — meaning symptoms that were subtle before become more obvious after surgery. But the anesthesia didn’

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