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Preventing Dementia in Older Cardiovascular Patients

  • Elderly + Heart Disease (J Wei, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) contributes to risk of dementia by either enhancing the development and progression of brain vascular disease and subsequent neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology, ie, amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, acts as a precipitant of dementia in older individuals with preexisting subclinical neuropathology of dementia. Atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure (CHF), stroke, and myocardial infarction are associated with increased risk of dementia. All older individuals age 65–70+ can be considered to be at very high risk of vascular disease and dementia and candidates for aggressive CV preventive therapies, such as lipid lowering, antihypertensive therapy, increased physical activity, antidiabetic therapies, smoking cessation, etc to prevent heart attacks subsequent CHF, atrial fibrillation, stroke, frailty, and dementia. Furthermore, preventing or delaying dementia should be a primary outcome of all CV trials in older individuals.

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Lewis Kuller declares that he has no conflicts of interest. Oscar Lopez received a grant from the NIH-NIA.

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  1. Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, 130 North Bellefield Avenue, Room 550, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA

    Lewis H. Kuller

  2. Departments of Neurology. and Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Oscar L. Lopez

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  1. Lewis H. Kuller
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Correspondence to Lewis H. Kuller.

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Kuller, L.H., Lopez, O.L. Preventing Dementia in Older Cardiovascular Patients. Curr Cardiovasc Risk Rep 8, 401 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12170-014-0401-x

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