title: Correlates of cognitive status of old patients with isolated systolic hypertension: the Syst-Eur Vascular Dementia Project.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess cognitive functions and their correlates for a dementia-free cohort of old patients with isolated systolic hypertension.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional data from the randomization period of the European Trial in Elderly with Systolic Hypertension (Syst-Eur Vascular Dementia Project).
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixteen European countries and Israel.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 2252 patients aged 60-100 years (mean 70).
  
  
  METHODS
  Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Spearman correlation of MMSE scores to demographic data or blood pressure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The MMSE was successfully completed for 1474 women and 751 men. The baseline blood pressure averaged 173 +/- 10/86 +/- 6 mmHg (means +/- SD). Median age at which education of patients at school had stopped was 15 years. Men and women who consumed alcohol (28%) had median intakes of 8 and 3 g/day, respectively. The median MMSE score was 29 (range 15-30). The maximum score of 30 was attained by 609 (30%) subjects. Fifty-nine (3%) patients had a MMSE score of 23 or less. The MMSE score decreased with advancing age (r = -0.21, P < 0.001). Both for men and for women, it was positively correlated to the level of education (r = 0.30 and r = 0.32, P < 0.001). For women after adjustment for age and the level of education, the score was correlated negatively to systolic blood pressure (r = -0.07, P < 0.05) but positively to intake of alcohol (r = 0.06, P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a cohort of elderly patients with isolated systolic hypertension, baseline cognitive function measured in terms of the MMSE score was high, probably due to selective recruitment of patients who were not clinically demented. Blood pressure was a weak contributor to cognitive status compared with age and level of education. Baseline cognitive function of women was negatively and independently correlated to systolic blood pressure.
authors.affiliation: françoise.forette@brc.ap-hop-paris.fr
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Seux
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Thijs
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Forette
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Staessen
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Birkenhäger
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Bulpitt
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Girerd
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jääskivi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vanhanen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kivinen
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yodfat
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Vänskä
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Antikainen
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Laks
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Webster
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hakamäki
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lehtomäki
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lilov
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grigorov
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Janculova
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Halonen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kohonen-Jalonen
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kermowa
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nachev
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tuomilehto
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003071:Cognition; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015140:Dementia, Vascular / Q000209:etiology; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D013599:Systole