Cognitive Profile and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health Vol. 21; no. 4; p. 500
• Main Authors: Vázquez-de Sebastián, Julia, Ortiz-Zuñiga, Angel M, Ciudin, Andreea, Ars, Joan, Inzitari, Marco, Simó, Rafael, Hernández, Cristina, Ariño-Blasco, Sergio, Barahona, María José, Franco, Maite, Gironès, Xavier, Crespo-Maraver, María Cruz, Rovira, Joan Carles, Castellano-Tejedor, Carmina, The Dialcat Consortium
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 18.04.2024
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Body mass index; Cardiovascular Diseases - epidemiology; Cognition; Cognition & reasoning; Cognitive ability; Cognitive Dysfunction - epidemiology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dementia; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - complications; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - epidemiology; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - psychology; Diabetic retinopathy; Disease; Female; Heart Disease Risk Factors; Humans; Hypertension; Longitudinal studies; Male; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Memory; Metabolic disorders; Neuropsychological Tests; Older people; Risk Factors; Sociodemographics; Variables; Spain; older adults; neuropsychological profile; cognitive impairment; mild cognitive impairment; type 2 diabetes; cardiovascular risk factors
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph21040500

The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) in the older adults population and their specific impact on their cognitive profiles still requires further research. For this purpose, a cross-sectional study was carried out to describe the presence of CVRFs and their association with cognitive performance in a sample of older adults (65-85 years old) with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Participants ( = 185) were divided into three groups concerning their cardiovascular risk level determined by the presence of different CVRFs, including Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), dyslipidemia, hypertension, and obesity. The primary outcome measures were the participant's scores in the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). Sociodemographic, clinical, and psychosocial data were collected. Non-parametrical statistical analyses and effect sizes were calculated. Findings revealed that a greater presence of CVRFs was not associated with a worse overall cognitive performance. High-risk patients were more likely to have significantly worse performance in the attentional domain compared to medium-risk ( = 0.029, = 0.42) and compared to low-risk ( = 0.041, = 0.35), specifically in the digits repetition subtest ( = 0.042). T2D alone was the CVRF associated with cognitive differences ( = 0.037, = 0.32), possibly mediated by the duration of the condition. Consequently, a higher presence of CVRFs did not lead to a worse overall cognitive performance. However, high-risk individuals were more likely to experience cognitive impairment, particularly in the attentional domain. T2D played a significant role in these cognitive profile differences, possibly influenced by its duration.