title: Cardiovascular risk factors and cognitive decline in adults aged 50 and over: a population-based cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  the objective of the present study was to explore the association between cardiovascular risk and cognitive decline in adults aged 50 and over.
  
  
  METHODS
  participants were older adults who participated in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Outcome measures included standardised z-scores for global cognition, memory and executive functioning. Associations between cardiovascular risk factors and 10-year Framingham risk scores with cognitive outcomes at 4-year and 8-year follow-ups were estimated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  the mean age of participants (n = 8,780) at 2004-05 survey was 66.93 and 55% were females. Participants in the highest quartile of Framingham stroke risk score (FSR) had lower global cognition (b = -0.73,CI: -1.37, -0.10), memory (b = -0.56, CI: -0.99, -0.12) and executive (b = -0.37, CI: -0.74, -0.01) scores at 4-year follow-up compared with those in the lower quartile. Systolic blood pressure ≥160 mmHg at 1998-2001 survey was associated with lower global cognitive (b = -1.26, CI: -2.52, -0.01) and specific memory (b = -1.16, CI: -1.94, -0.37) scores at 8-year follow-up. Smoking was consistently associated with lower performance on all three cognitive outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  elevated cardiovascular risk may be associated with accelerated decline in cognitive functioning in the elderly. Future intervention studies may be better focused on overall risk rather than individual risk factor levels.
authors.affiliation: NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London, 6th Floor, Capital House, 42 Weston Street, London, UK. alexandru.dregan@kcl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dregan
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: Martin C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Gulliford
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D056344:Executive Function; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D016014:Linear Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008568:Memory; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D013599:Systole; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D002784:Cholesterol