Cardio-ankle vascular index as a predictor of cognitive impairment in community-dwelling elderly people: four-year follow-up.
OBJECTIVE
The relation between markers of generalized atherosclerosis and cognitive impairment in old age is controversial. The aim of the study was to evaluate the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) as a predictor of longitudinal changes in cognitive function in older individuals.


METHODS
We evaluated the cognitive function in elderly people with high (AS(+)) and low (AS(-)) values of CAVI each year over 4 years.


RESULTS
The changes in the Hasegawa Dementia Scale Revised (HDS-R) and the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) at 4 years were significantly larger in the AS(+) group (AS(+) vs. AS(-) = -1.8 +/- 4.4 vs. 0.3 +/- 2.8 points and -1.1 +/- 3.0 vs. 0.1 +/- 2.3 points, p = 0.008 and 0.03, respectively). The annual changes in the HDS-R were significantly decreased from baseline at 1 year later to 4 years later in AS(+) (baseline vs. 1, 2, 3, 4 years = 26.5 vs. 25.0, 25.5, 25.7, 24.8 points, p < 0.001); in comparison, the annual changes in MMSE significantly decreased from the baseline over the 4 years in AS (+) (baseline vs. 1, 2, 3, 4 years = 26.8 vs. 26.2, 25.8, 26.4, 25.7 points, p = 0.002).


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study suggest that elderly people with a high CAVI value are at a greater risk of cognitive decline.
Yamamoto
Naomune
N
Department of Medicine, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Medical Center East, Arakawa, Tokyo, Japan. in1195@poh.osaka-med.ac.jp
Yamanaka
Gaku
G
Ishikawa
Motonao
M
Takasugi
Emiko
E
Murakami
Shougo
S
Yamanaka
Takashi
T
Ishine
Masayuki
M
Matsubayashi
Kozo
K
Hanafusa
Toshiaki
T
Otsuka
Kuniaki
K
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000842:Ankle / Q000098:blood supply*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D012044:Regression Analysis