Larger carotid diameters (≥90th percentile) were associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (HR 4.34; 95% CI 1.70-11.11).
Cohort (n=953)
Does brain arterial dilatation increase the risk of Alzheimer's dementia in older adults?
Hazard Ratio: 4.34 (95% CI 1.7–11.11)
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.
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).