Cardiovascular disease risk factors and progression of Alzheimer's disease.
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.
Abellan van Kan
Gabor
G
Inserm U558, Department of Geriatric Medicine, CHU Toulouse, Toulouse, France. abellan-van-kan-g@chu-toulouse.fr
Rolland
Yves
Y
Nourhashémi
Fati
F
Coley
Nicola
N
Andrieu
Sandrine
S
Vellas
Bruno
B
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