Influence of cardiovascular risk factors on pre-mild cognitive decline at middle and old age

Abstract

Much attention is currently paid to non-dementia cognitive impairment, such as mild cognitive impairment and pre-mild cognitive decline (PMCD), since their timely detection and optimal correction increase the possibility of preventing dementia.Objective: to analyze the neuropsychological characteristics of patients with PMCD depending on the presence or absence of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs): hypertension, cardiac disorders (ischemic heart disease, intracardiac conduction disturbance), and prior stroke and myocardial infarction, as well as diabetes mellitus.Patients and methods. Examinations were made in 182 patients (132 women, 50 men; mean age, 59.32±5.41 years) with PMCD and CVFRs, 101 patients (77 women, 24 men; mean age, 59.45±7.04 years) with PMCD without CVRFs, and 77 control persons (55 women, 22 men; mean age, 60.55±5.65 years). All underwent general clinical, neurological, and clinical psychological studies using rating scales and tests.Results and discussion. The patients with PMCD and CVRFs had lower scores on all neuropsychological tests than the control group and on most tests than the patients with PMCD without CVRFs. In addition to some deterioration in memory indicators, the patients with CVRFs performed worse executive function tests. Cluster analysis showed that in the patients with PMCD, the severity of cognitive decline was considerably affected by hypertension, cardiac disorders, and diabetes mellitus; among them, hypertension was of the most significance.Conclusion. The association of cognitive decline with the burden of CVRFs indicates their important role in the deterioration of cognitive functions in PMCD.