Cardiovascular risk factors for mild cognitive impairment

The relationship between cardiovascular conditions and the presence of Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD) has been well-documented in a number of recent studies. Generally, the presence of cardiovascular conditions such as high total cholesterol and hypertension have been shown to significantly increase the risk for the development of AD. Given the results of these studies, it is possible that these same risk factors might also increase the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI). An analysis of 216 subjects (119 cognitively normal (CN), 77 aMCI, 20 naMCI) found that after adjusting for age, education, ethnicity, and gender, only hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) showed a significant effect for aMCI [OR = 1.75 (1.02, 2.99) p=0.04]. Age and education also showed significant effects that were consistent with previous studies. Given recent studies linking Type 2 diabetes with AD, this finding appears to strengthen the link between diabetes-related disease processes and aMCI/AD disease processes