Impact of coronary heart disease on cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease: a prospective longitudinal cohort study in primary care
Background: Arteriosclerotic disorders increase the risk of dementia. As they have common causes and risk factors, coronary heart disease (CHD) could influence the course of dementia. Aim: To determine whether CHD increases the speed of cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease, and to discuss the po...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article (Journal) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
February 2017
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| In: |
The British journal of general practice
Year: 2017, Volume: 67, Issue: 655, Pages: e111-e117 |
| ISSN: | 1478-5242 |
| DOI: | 10.3399/bjgp16X688813 |
| Online Access: | Verlag, teilw. kostenfrei, Volltext: http://dx.doi.org/10.3399/bjgp16X688813 Verlag, teilw. kostenfrei, Volltext: http://bjgp.org.ezproxy.medma.uni-heidelberg.de/content/67/655/e111 
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| Author Notes: | Markus Bleckwenn, Luca Kleineidam, Michael Wagner, Frank Jessen, Siegfried Weyerer, Jochen Werle, Birgitt Wiese, Dagmar Lühmann, Tina Posselt, Hans-Helmut König, Christian Brettschneider, Edelgard Mösch, Dagmar Weeg, Angela Fuchs, Michael Pentzek, Tobias Luck, Steffi G. Riedel-Heller, Wolfgang Maier and Martin Scherer |
| Summary: | Background: Arteriosclerotic disorders increase the risk of dementia. As they have common causes and risk factors, coronary heart disease (CHD) could influence the course of dementia. Aim: To determine whether CHD increases the speed of cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease, and to discuss the potential for secondary cardiovascular prevention to modify this decline. Design and setting: Prospective multicentre cohort study in general practices in six cities in Germany. Method: Participants were patients with probable mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s dementia or mixed dementia (n = 118; mean age 85.6 [±3.4] years, range 80-96 years). The authors assessed the presence of CHD according to the family physicians’ diagnosis. Cognitive performance was measured during home visits for up to 3 years in intervals of 6 months, using Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes (CDR-SoB). The authors also recorded whether patients died in the observation period. Results: At baseline, 65 patients (55%) had CHD and/or a heart condition following a myocardial infarction. The presence of CHD accelerated cognitive decline (MMSE, P<0.05) by about 66%, and reduced cognitive-functional ability (CDR-SoB, P<0.05) by about 83%, but had no impact on survival. Conclusion: The study shows that CHD has a significant influence on cognitive decline in older patients with late-onset dementia. The dementia process might therefore be positively influenced by cardiovascular prevention, and this possible effect should be further investigated. |
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| Item Description: | Gesehen am 04.04.2018 |
| Physical Description: | Online Resource |
| ISSN: | 1478-5242 |
| DOI: | 10.3399/bjgp16X688813 |