Jenna Barbee, James Russell Pike, Jingkai Wei, Hirofumi Tanaka, David S Knopman, Anna Kucharska-Newton, A Richey Sharrett, Timothy M Hughes, Kunihiro Matsushita, Thomas H Mosley, Michelle L Meyer, Priya Palta
Of 4818 participants included in the study population (mean age: 75 years; 41% male, 21% Black), 1067 (22%) developed dementia over a median follow-up of 9.0 years. Higher cfPWV, total PWV, structural PWV, and load-dependent PWV were associated with greater dementia risk.
INTRODUCTION: Associations of arterial stiffness, measured through pulse wave velocity (PWV), with incident dementia may be driven by age-related structural changes to the arterial wall or by elevated blood pressure.
METHODS: Dementia-free White or Black participants in the community-based Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) cohort study with measures of PWV were examined. The associations of carotid-femoral PWV (cfPWV) and total, structural, and load-dependent PWV with dementia were estimated using Poisson regression models and Cox proportional hazards models. Dementia cases were defined by physician-adjudicated review, telephone interviews, hospitalization records, and death certificates.
RESULTS: Of 4818 participants included in the study population (mean age: 75 years; 41% male, 21% Black), 1067 (22%) developed dementia over a median follow-up of 9.0 years. Higher cfPWV, total PWV, structural PWV, and load-dependent PWV were associated with greater dementia risk.
DISCUSSION: Both structural and pressure-related arterial stiffness mechanisms may underlie the link between PWV and dementia.