Abstract
OBJECTIVESBoth cardiovascular health (CVH) and inflammation are associated with cognition, and inflammation is also associated with CVH. However, limited information has been reported on these factors in the Korean population. The objective of our study was to investigate the influence of inflammation on the association between CVH and cognition using a cross-sectional design.METHODSData were obtained from the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases Etiology Research Center baseline study. Participants who completed fasting serum analysis, questionnaires, and cognitive function tests were included in the analysis, whereas those with a history of autoimmune disease were excluded. The CVH in Ambulatory Care Research Team health index metrics, including smoking, physical activity, healthy diet, obesity, history of hypertension, and diabetes, were used to assess CVH. Cognitive function was evaluated with the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Estimation for Dementia Screening. Inflammatory status was assessed based on a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) test.RESULTSAmong 2,622 total participants (mean age, 57.2 years; 1,792 women), 13%, 58%, and 29% had poor, intermediate, and ideal CVH, respectively. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that CVH was significantly associated with cognitive function only in women. A stratified analysis showed that cognitive impairment due to CVH was not associated with hs-CRP levels. When the same analyses were conducted for each CVH component, the only component affecting the association was hypertension history in men.CONCLUSIONSCVH is not significantly associated with cognitive decline in the middle-aged Korean population. Inflammation did not play a significant modifying role in this relationship.
Highlights
Degenerative dementia has become a serious health problem in Korea, as the prevalence of dementia is almost 10.0% in the population above the age of 65 years
The association between cardiovascular health (CVH) and early cognitive function was not significant, and the level of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-C-reactive protein (CRP)) did not affect the risk of cognitive dysfunction
A stratified analysis across hs-CRP tertiles revealed no mediatory effect in the relationship between CVH and cognitive function
Summary
Degenerative dementia has become a serious health problem in Korea, as the prevalence of dementia is almost 10.0% in the population above the age of 65 years. The management of dementia in Korea costs approximately 20 million Korean won (KRW) per person annually in 2015 [1]. More effective risk evaluation and management for dementia could alleviate economic, psychological, and social problems [3]. It has been revealed that an early diagnosis and treatment of AD improves the prognosis [3,5]. The clinical diagnosis of AD is being made by positron emission tomography and cerebrospinal fluid studies, which are expensive or invasive, and only give information after AD has developed to some extent [4]. To start treatment of AD earlier, it is necessary to identify a biomarker that reflects the risk of AD [6]
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