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Common Carotid Artery Calcification Impacts on Cognitive Function in Older Patients

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Abstract

Introduction

Cognitive impairment and dementia represent an emerging health problem. Cardiovascular (CV) risk factors contribute to cognitive impairment.

Aim

To investigate the effect of vascular calcification on cognitive impairment and dementia, independently of plaque and traditional CV risk factors.

Methods

Four hundred and sixty-nine patients (age of 78.6 ± 6.1 years, 74.4% women) were studied. Traditional CV risk factors levels, cognitive function (MMSE), brain CT scan, and other vascular parameters were measured. Common Carotid Artery (CCA) plaque and calcification were evaluated by ultrasound.

Results

CCA calcification was associated with a lower MMSE score than in subjects with no CCA calcification (23.7 ± 0.3 versus 25.5 ± 0.8; p = 0.015), after controlling for age, sex, education, blood pressure levels, diabetes, creatinine, lipid lowering therapy, neuroimaging alteration, and CCA plaque. Similarly, CCA calcification was associated with higher odds of dementia regardless of the presence of CCA plaque (OR 1.70, 95% CI 1.01–2.94, p < 0.05). This trend was not observed when stratifying patients according to the presence of CCA plaque.

Conclusion

CCA calcification is associated with cognitive impairment and dementia, independently of established CV risk factors and CCA plaque. The impact of arterial calcification on cognition seems largely independent of arterial stiffness.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hypertension and Nephrology Unit, Department of Medicine, Policinico Tor Vergata, Universita’di Roma Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy

    Nicola Di Daniele, Roberto Celotto, Marco Gabriele & Valentina Rovella

  2. Department of Public Health and Infectious Disease, University “La Sapienza”, Rome, Italy

    Danilo Alunni Fegatelli

  3. Department of Medical, Surgical, and Experimental Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy

    Angelo Scuteri

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  1. Nicola Di Daniele
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  2. Roberto Celotto
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  4. Marco Gabriele
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  5. Valentina Rovella
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  6. Angelo Scuteri
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Correspondence to Angelo Scuteri.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Di Daniele, N., Celotto, R., Alunni Fegatelli, D. et al. Common Carotid Artery Calcification Impacts on Cognitive Function in Older Patients. High Blood Press Cardiovasc Prev 26, 127–134 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40292-019-00301-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40292-019-00301-z

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