Independent Association between Cognitive Frailty and Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract

Introduction: Although arterial stiffness has been suggested to be associated with poor physical function and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), its association with cognitive frailty (CF), a comorbidity of both, is unclear. This study aims to examine the association between CF and arterial stiffness in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of 511 community-dwelling older adults aged 65 years or older (mean age 73.6 ± 6.2 years, 63.6% women), who participated in a community cohort study (Tarumizu Study, 2019), was conducted. Poor physical function was defined as either slowness (walking speed Results: Multinomial logistic regression analysis adjusted for covariates was performed with the four groups of robust, poor physical function, MCI, and CF as dependent variables and mean CAVI as an independent variable. Using the robust group as reference, the poor physical function and MCI groups showed no significant relationship with the mean CAVI. The mean CAVI was significantly higher in the CF group (odds ratio 1.62, 95% confidence interval: 1.14–2.29). Conclusion: A significant association was found between CF and the higher CAVI (progression of arterial stiffness). Careful observation and control of CAVI, which is also an indicator of arterial stiffness, may be a potential target for preventive interventions for CF.