Modifiable Dementia Risk Factor in Older Adults Identified

A study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease identified arterial stiffness as a dementia risk factor among older adults that should be alterable, reports ScienceDaily . Arterial stiffness can be mitigated by antihypertensive drugs as well as by lifestyle interventions, suggesting persons at risk may be able to prevent or retard the onset of dementia. "As the large arteries get stiffer, their ability to cushion the pumping of blood from the heart is diminished, and that transmits increased pulsing force to the brain, which contributes to silent brain damage that increases dementia risk," says University of Pittsburgh Professor Rachel Mackey. The investigators analyzed the association between arterial stiffness and dementia among 356 older adults, average age 78, with 15 years of follow-up. All participants were dementia-free at the beginning, and their aortic stiffness was tested with pulse wave velocity (PWV). Participants also underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of their brains. Subjects with high PWV readings were 60 percent more likely to develop dementia during the following 15 years versus those with lower PWV values. Meanwhile, arterial stiffness correlated with subclinical brain disease and risk factors for cardiovascular disease, but these factors failed to explain the results. "What's exciting to think about is that the strong association of arterial stiffness to dementia in old age suggests that even at age 70 or 80, we might still be able to delay or prevent the onset of dementia," Mackey says.