Study: Heart Disease May Lead To Dementia

Cardiovascular Disease Linked To Alzheimer's Disease

Heart disease increases the risk of many other conditions -- including dementia, according to a new study.

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that people with cardiovascular disease have an elevated risk of developing dementia, including both Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, which is caused by insufficient blood flow to the brain.

The findings are being presented today at the annual meeting of the American Geriatric Society in Washington, D.C.

"We found that those with cardiovascular disease had an increased risk of dementia of about 30 percent, only partially explained by stroke," said Dr. Anne Newman, an associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at the university's School of Medicine.

She said that, given the results, the most effective way to prevent dementia may be to prevent cardiovascular disease.

Researchers conducting the Cardiovascular Health Study analyzed 5,201 people aged 65 and older in 1989-90 and an additional 687 African-Americans enrolled in 1992-93 from four U.S. communities. They underwent physical and cognitive tests each year until 1999.

"The risk of dementia was highest in those participants with peripheral arterial disease," Newman said. "The risk of Alzheimer's disease was also higher in those with cardiovascular disease, though this was partly explained by other dementia risk factors."

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