Pulse Wave Velocity and Cognitive Decline in Elders
Why the study?
Does higher arterial stiffness measured by pulse wave velocity predict cognitive decline in older adults?
Population
2,488 older adults (mean age 74.2 years, 52.3% women) from the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study.
Comparison
High and middle tertiles of arterial stiffness… vs Low tertile of arterial stiffness
Design
Cohort
Follow-up
9 years
Authors
Discussion
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Member takes
Implication
May aid cognitive risk stratification in older adults; leaves open whether arterial stiffness is causal or modifiable.
Key Points
- To evaluate the longitudinal relationship between arterial stiffness, measured by pulse wave velocity, and cognitive decline over a 9-year follow-up in older adults.
- Prospective cohort study of 2,488 participants (mean age 74.2 years; 52.3% women) followed for 9 years in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study.
- Baseline arterial stiffness was measured via pulse wave velocity (PWV) tertiles, and cognitive function was evaluated repeatedly at baseline and years 3, 5, 8, and 10 using the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination (3MS).
- Applied linear mixed models for cognitive trajectory and logistic regression for cognitive impairment (≥5-point 3MS drop after 9 years, n=1,331), adjusting for sociodemographics, APOE4, and cardiovascular risk factors.
- Adjusted annual 3MS decline was -0.30 points (95% CI, -0.37 to -0.22) in the low PWV group, compared to -0.46 points (95% CI, -0.54 to -0.39) for middle PWV and -0.45 points (95% CI, -0.53 to -0.38) for high PWV.
- Compared to the low PWV tertile, odds of 9-year cognitive impairment were higher for participants with middle PWV (OR 1.40; 95% CI, 1.03-1.92) and high PWV (OR 1.59; 95% CI, 1.16-2.18).
Structured PICO
Does higher arterial stiffness measured by pulse wave velocity predict cognitive decline in older adults?
P
Population
2,488 older adults (mean age 74.2 years, 52.3% women) from the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study.
I
Intervention
High and middle tertiles of arterial stiffness measured as pulse wave velocity (PWV)
C
Comparator
Low tertile of arterial stiffness (pulse wave velocity)
O
Outcome
Longitudinal changes in cognitive function (Modified Mini-Mental State examination scores) and cognitive impairment (decrease of ≥5 points) over 9 years
Higher arterial stiffness, measured by pulse wave velocity, is independently associated with accelerated cognitive decline and impairment in older adults.
Cite This Study
Hazzouri et al. (2013) studied this question.