title: Carotid stenosis and cognitive impairment amongst older Chinese adults living in a rural area: a population-based study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The possible association between carotid stenosis and cognitive impairment in the Chinese population has been rarely investigated. The association between the severity of carotid stenosis and cognitive impairment amongst older Chinese people living in a rural area was assessed.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study included 1375 participants (age ≥60 years) from the Confucius Hometown Aging Project in Shandong. In 2010-2011, data were collected through interviews and clinical examinations. Carotid stenosis was assessed using ultrasonography. Cognitive impairment was defined according to the education-specific cutoff scores of the Mini-Mental State Examination. Data were analyzed using multinomial logistic models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall prevalence was 7.0% for moderate carotid stenosis, 2.0% for severe stenosis and 6.0% for cognitive impairment. The multi-adjusted odds ratio of cognitive impairment was 1.43 (95% confidence interval 0.63-3.22) for moderate carotid stenosis and 3.75 (1.24-11.40) for severe carotid stenosis (P(trend) = 0.023). Similar results were obtained in people without a history of cerebrovascular disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Severe carotid stenosis, even asymptomatic, is associated with cognitive impairment independent of atherosclerotic risk factors and disorders amongst older Chinese people.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Jining No. 1 People's Hospital, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Jining Medical University, Shandong, China.|Aging Research Center, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet - Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Jining No. 1 People's Hospital, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Xing Long Zhuang Hospital, Shandong Yankuang Group, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Xing Long Zhuang Hospital, Shandong Yankuang Group, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Jining Medical University, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Aging Research Center, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet - Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Qiu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012424:Rural Population
keywords: China; aging; carotid atherosclerosis; carotid stenosis; cognitive impairment