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Aortic Stiffness is Associated with Increased Risk of Incident Dementia in Older Adults.

TitleAortic Stiffness is Associated with Increased Risk of Incident Dementia in Older Adults.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2018
AuthorsCui, C, Sekikawa, A, Kuller, LH, Lopez, OL, Newman, AB, Kuipers, AL, Mackey, RH
JournalJ Alzheimers Dis
Volume66
Issue1
Pagination297-306
Date Published2018
ISSN1875-8908
Abstract<p>Cardiovascular disease risk factors, including age, hypertension, and diabetes, contribute to aortic stiffness and subclinical cardiovascular and brain disease, increasing dementia risk. Aortic stiffness, measured by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), reduces the buffering of pulsatile blood flow, exposing cerebral small arteries to microvascular damage. High cfPWV is related to white matter hyperintensities and brain amyloid deposition, and to cognitive decline, but it is unclear whether cfPWV independently predicts incident dementia. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that cfPWV predicts incident dementia in older adults, independent of potential confounders. The Cardiovascular Health Study Cognition Study followed 532 non-demented older adults with annual cognitive exams from 1998-99 through 2013. CfPWV was measured on 356 (mean age = 78, 59% women) between 1996-2000. Over 15 years, 212 (59.6%) developed dementia (median time from cfPWV measurement = 4 years). In age and sex-adjusted Cox models, cfPWV was significantly associated with increased risk of dementia, but systolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure and pulse pressure were not. CfPWV (transformed as - 1/cfPWV) remained significantly associated with dementia risk when further adjusted for education, race, APOEɛ4, diabetes, body mass index, mean arterial pressure, and anti-hypertensive medication (hazard ratio = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.02, 2.51). Results were similar when further adjusted for baseline global cognition, subclinical brain measures, and coronary artery calcification. Finally, higher cfPWV was related to lower physical activity intensity and higher systolic blood pressure, heart rate, and waist circumference measured 5 years prior. An important unanswered question is whether interventions to slow arterial stiffening can reduce the risk of dementia.</p>
DOI10.3233/JAD-180449
Alternate JournalJ. Alzheimers Dis.
PubMed ID30282361
PubMed Central IDPMC6313252
Grant ListR01 HL064587 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R01 AG015928 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
U01 HL080295 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01 HL130114 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
HHSN268200800007C / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
N01HC55222 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
N01HC85086 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
RF1 AG051615 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
HHSN268201200036C / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
HHSN268201800001C / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R01 AG020098 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
N01HC85082 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
N01HC85083 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
N01HC85079 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R01 AG023629 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
N01HC85080 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
N01HC85081 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
ePub date: 
18/12