Ankle brachial pressure index as a marker of apathy in a community-dwelling population.
BACKGROUND
Apathy is defined as a lack of interest or emotion. Several studies have shown the relationship between apathy and atherosclerotic change in poststroke patients. Although apathy is confused with depression, it might be a specific neuropsychiatric syndrome separate from depression.


OBJECTIVE
To clarify the relationship between atherosclerotic change and apathy in a community-dwelling population, which does not include the psychologic factors associated with stroke events.


METHODS
The ankle brachial pressure index (ABI) was measured using a volume-plethymographic apparatus in 860 volunteers (315 males and 545 females) who participated in the Iwaki Health Promotion Project 2008. Starkstein's apathy score and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) were used to assess the psychologic status. The association between the ABI and apathy was assessed by a multiple linear regression analysis.


RESULTS
Gender and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol were independently and significantly associated with the CES-D score. We did not find any association between CES-D score and the ABI. In addition, the extent of education and the ABI were independently and significantly associated with the apathy scale (AS).


CONCLUSIONS
In a community-dwelling population, a lower ABI score was an independent risk factor for a higher AS score, but not for a higher CES-D score. Apathy and depression may have different etiologies in vascular factors.
Sugawara
Norio
N
Department of Psychiatry, Hirosaki-Aiseikai Hospital, Hirosaki, Japan. nsuga3@yahoo.co.jp
Yasui-Furukori
Norio
N
Umeda
Takashi
T
Kaneda
Ayako
A
Sato
Yasushi
Y
Takahashi
Ippei
I
Matsuzaka
Masashi
M
Danjo
Kazuma
K
Nakaji
Shigeyuki
S
Kaneko
Sunao
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D057565:Apathy / Q000502:physiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000502:physiology*; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D003863:Depression / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012737:Sex Factors
D008078:Cholesterol, LDL