Risk factors for cerebrovascular disease and cognitive function in the elderly.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether stroke risk factors and cognitive dysfunction are concomitant in individuals over the age of 60.


METHODS
The cognitive abilities of elderly individuals with different degrees of risk as per the Framingham stroke risk profile were compared. The Framingham stroke risk profile was used to calculate the risk of an ischemic cerebral event. Neuropsychological tests included the Buschke Selective Reminding Test, verbal fluency (animals), clock drawing, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning, digit span and vocabulary. A random and typical population sample was used in the study, selected from the 200 elderly residents in the area surrounding the primary health care facility (Morada das Flores Clinic, Porto Alegre). Forty-six elderly individuals were included in the study.


RESULTS
The elderly individuals with a risk profile, had lower memory test performance levels (NF, p=0.02) and planning capacity (clock drawing test, p=0.03). Diabetes proved to be related to delayed recall performance in the Rey auditory verbal learning test (p=0.04).


CONCLUSIONS
The presence of stroke risk factors in the elderly was associated with worse cognitive performance for memory and executive functions.
Maineri
Nicole de Liz
Nde L
Hospital São Lucas da PUCRS, Instituto de Geriatria e Gerontologia, Hospital Mãe de Deus, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. nimaineri@hotmail.com
Xavier
Flávio Merino de Freitas
FM
Berleze
Maria Cristina Cachapuz
MC
Moriguchi
Emílio Hideyuki
EH
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014705:Verbal Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology; D014825:Vocabulary