title: Cardiovascular disease risk factors and progression of Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess if cardiovascular disease risk factors (CVDRF) are predictive factors for poorer evolution of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients in terms of cognitive decline.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Réseau de la maladie d'Alzheimer - France (REAL.FR) study is a prospective multicentre cohort which has recruited 686 community-dwelling patients presenting mild to moderate AD. The presence of CVDRF and associated treatments was recorded at baseline. The rate of cognitive decline of AD patients was assessed using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale cognitive subscale (ADAS-Cog), after 2 years of follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 629 patients at baseline, 268 (42.6%) had no CVDRF, 256 (40.7%) reported 1 CVDRF and 105 (16.7%) reported 2-3. At inclusion, hypertension was present in 44.1% of patients, hypercholesterolaemia in 22.6% and diabetes in 9.4%. No statistically significant differences (p values of 0.9 for MMSE and 0.8 for ADAS-Cog) in mean cognitive decline after 2 years of follow-up were found comparing different subgroups of patients with CVDRF to the non-CVDRF group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although there is evidence that CVDRF contribute to the onset of AD, these results suggest that CVDRF may not be part of the underlying processes that affect progression of AD.
authors.affiliation: Inserm U558, Department of Geriatric Medicine, CHU Toulouse, Toulouse, France. abellan-van-kan-g@chu-toulouse.fr
authors.forename: Gabor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Abellan van Kan
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Rolland
authors.forename: Fati
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nourhashémi
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Coley
authors.forename: Sandrine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Andrieu
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vellas
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors