Risk factors for dementia in the cardiovascular health study cognition study

Several predispocitional and genetic factors are thought to be involved in the etiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Except for age, there is no consensus among researchers about the factors that can best predict AD. Some studies have found that, older women, cerebrovascular risk factors (hypertension, ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus), and the presence of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) 4 allele to be associated with the development of dementia and AD. However, there are a few large scale studies that have entered magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)findings in the analysis of risk factors for AD. The Cardiovascular Health Study Cognition Study evaluated the determinants of the risk of dementia, diagnosed in 1998-99, among 3608 participants >65 years of age who had MRI of the brain in 1991 through 1994. In this cohort, there were 480 incident dementia cases, and 330 were diagnosed as AD. The CHS found that age, Modified Mini-Mental State Examination scores, cerebral ventricular size, severity of white matter lesions, number of MRI-identified infarcts, and the presence of the APOE-4 allele were predictors of dementia. This study showed the importance of controlling for neuroimaging findings the study of risk factors for dementia. Scores of global cognitive measures, the presence of the APOE-4 allele, and MRI of the brain were strong predictors of dementia and AD.