Lower cognitive performance is not correlated with vascular stiffness in elderly treated hypertensives.
Abstract
To correlate cognitive performance with vascular stiffness in elderly normotensives and hypertensives.
Design and method:
Cognitive performance was assessed by CAMCOG-R in elderly normotensives [NTN; n = 20 (7 women); 68 ± 1yo; 131 ± 3mmHg; education = 11 ± 1y] and pharmacologically treated hypertensives [HTN; n = 42 (26 women); 68 ± 1yo; 149 ± 3mmHg; education = 8 ± 1y]. Subjects treated with beta-blockers were excluded. Depression was assessed by Beck Depression Inventory. We measured carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) with Complior and central aortic systolic pressure (CASP) with SphygmoCor. Augmentation pressure (AP) was derived from central aortic pressure waveform.
Results:
CAMCOG-R global score was larger in NTN (87 ± 2 vs. 77 ± 1, p < 0.001). While CASP was higher in HTN (137 ± 5 vs. 123 ± 2mmHg, p = 0.001), PWV and AP were similar in NTN and HTN (PWV 11.6 ± 0.5 vs. 11.6 ± 0.4m/s, p = 0.9; AP 15 ± 1 vs. 18 ± 1mmHg, p = 0.1). In a linear multiple regression model controlled for sex and depression, both hypertension and less education, but not PWV and AP, were independent adverse predictors of CAMCOG-R global score (Table; adjusted R-squared of model = 0.56; p-value of model < 0.001).
Conclusions:
As expected, normotensives exhibited better cognitive performance than hypertensives. Importantly, hypertension and less education, but not indices of vascular stiffness, were associated with lower cognitive performance. These results suggest that vascular stiffness is not correlated with lower cognitive performance in elderly treated hypertensives.