Key result
Larger carotid diameters (≥90th percentile) were associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (HR 4.34; 95% CI 1.70-11.11).
Why the study?
The study was conducted to test the hypothesis that brain arterial dilatation increases the risk of Alzheimer's dementia.
Does brain arterial dilatation increase the risk of Alzheimer's dementia in older adults?
Cohort (n=953)
Does brain arterial dilatation increase the risk of Alzheimer's dementia in older adults?
Should not guide AD risk assessment in practice; leaves open whether carotid dilatation contributes to Alzheimer's pathogenesis.
INTRODUCTION: We tested the hypothesis that brain arterial dilatation increases the risk of Alzheimer's dementia (AD). METHODS: We studied dementia-free participants in the Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project who had a brain MRI and post-MRI dementia adjudication. We measured the axial T2-proton density diameters of the intracranial carotids and basilar diameters and used Cox models to obtain AD hazard ratios and 95% intervals. RESULTS: Of 953 participants (mean age 77 ± 7 y, women 64%, 71% nonwhite) followed on average for 3 ± 3 years, 76 (8%) developed AD. In a model adjusted for demographics, vascular risks, apolipoprotein E (APOE)-ε4, and white matter hyperintensities, larger carotid diameters increased the risk of AD, defined categorically as ≥ 90th percentile (HR 4.34, 1.70-11.11) or continuously (HR 1.44 per SD, 1.07-1.94). DISCUSSION: Understanding the pathophysiology of the association between AD and brain arterial dilatation may reveal new clues to the vascular contributions to AD.
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Gutierrez et al. (2019) conducted a cohort in Alzheimer's disease (n=953). Larger carotid diameters (≥ 90th percentile) vs. Smaller carotid diameters (< 90th percentile) was evaluated on Alzheimer's disease (HR 4.34, 95% CI 1.70-11.11). Larger carotid diameters (≥90th percentile) were associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (HR 4.34; 95% CI 1.70-11.11).
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