General anesthesia is a medical act that has sparked debate within the scientific community: probably dangerous for the brain before the age of 4, risky for memory young children, or sometimes ineffective… It crystallizes the anxieties of patients and would have certain harmful side effects for health.
However, a recent study conducted by the Mayo Clinic (United States) has just shown that general anesthesia has no long-term consequences on the brains of anesthetized patients between the age of 40 and the age of 60.
Consequences on the brain from the age of 60
To verify this, the researchers analyzed medical data collected from 1,731 patients aged 70 to 89 over about 5 years – including studying their cognitive performance. Result, on the 536 people who suffered from cognitive dysfunctions, the proportion of those operated under general anesthesia between 40 and 60 years was not significant. No correlation could either be established between the number of general anesthesias and the level of cognitive decline.
“However, when performed after the age of 60, general anesthesia could have consequences on the brain: there is an increased risk of slight deterioration of cognitive functions, which is estimated between + 2% and + 55%. »Analyze the scientists, whose work has been published on the clinic website. There is an alternative to general anesthesia: hypnosis.
Read also: what happens on the operating table when you are anesthetized?
