Abstract P218: Risk Factors Of Dementia In Patients With Hypertension: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Abstract

Background: Patients with hypertension are at higher risk for dementia than the general population. We sought to understand the relative importance of various risk factors in developing dementia among hypertensive patients. Methods: This population-based cohort study used the database from the Korean National Insurance Service. Eligible individuals were 40-79 years adults with hypertension and without previous history of stroke or dementia at 2007-2009. To test the relative importance of risk factors on the development of dementia, R 2 values for each potential risk factor were calculated from the Cox proportional hazard model. Results: Overall, 650,476 individuals (mean age 60 ± 11) with hypertension were included in the analyses. During a mean 9.5 years of follow-up, 57,112 cases of dementia were observed. The top 3 strongest predictors for dementia were age, comorbidity (assessed by Charlson Comorbidity Index), and sex. The next strongest risk factors were physical activity, followed by smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index, use of statin, fasting glucose level, blood pressure control status, and hypertension duration. Conclusions and Relevance: Controlling comorbidity is of utmost importance to prevent dementia in patients with hypertension. Together with this, we should put more effort into encouraging physical activity, smoking cessation, and moderation of alcohol for primary prevention of dementia.