Association between use of cardiovascular medicines and risk of mild cognitive function impairment and dementia amongst people living with cardiovascular diseases: a systematic review protocol

Objective: The objective of this review is to investigate the association between the use of cardiovascular medicines and the risk of mild cognitive function impairment and dementia in people with cardiovascular disease. Introduction: Cardiovascular disease is one of the most important modifiable factors for mild cognitive function impairment and dementia. The current evidence about the effectiveness of cardiovascular disease medicine on the risk of dementia is inconclusive; hence, it is imperative to conduct a comprehensive investigation on the effect of cardiovascular disease medicine on the risk of mild cognitive function impairment and dementia. Inclusion criteria: This review will include studies involving participants (age >= 18 years) who were using cardiovascular medicine for hypertension, myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation, stroke, or heart failure. The eligible studies will include observational studies and randomized controlled trials. Methods: MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), and PsycINFO (Ovid) will be searched from 2000 to the present. We will only include studies published in English. Titles, abstracts, and full texts will be screened by authors independently. The methodological quality of included studies will be assessed using the JBI critical appraisal checklist for observational studies and randomized controlled trials. The data to be extracted will include the basic study characteristics, populations, drug groups, clinical indicators, and outcomes. Studies will be pooled using statistical meta-analysis, where possible. Alternatively, the findings will be presented in narrative form where statistical pooling is not possible. Systematic review registration number: PROSPERO CRD42020175386