Antihypertensive Therapy Is Associated with Reduced Rate of Conversion to Alzheimer's Disease in Midregional Proatrial Natriuretic Peptide Stratified Subjects with Mild Cognitive Impairment

Background: Hypertension is a major risk factor of Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, controlled studies on the effect of antihypertensive treatment on the risk of dementia are inconclusive. Therefore, a biological marker that predicts individual response to antihypertensive treatment would be of high clinical relevance. Midregional proatrial natriuretic peptide (MR-proANP), an inactive surrogate molecule of the mature atrial natriuretic peptide, is related to circulatory function and hypertension. Methods: A sample population of 134 subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) was followed for up to 6 years. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was conducted to predict conversion to AD based on all relevant variables. Results: Baseline MR-proANP was significantly increased in the AD converter group (p 74 pmol/L. Further subgrouping by age (>/<= 72 years at baseline) increased the positive correlation of antihypertensive treatment and MCI outcome for patients below the age of 72 years (conversion rate reduced by 74%, p = .016). Conclusions: These data seem to support the notion of a potential impact of circulatory function for the prognosis of AD at a prodromal stage. The MR-proANP levels may be useful to predict the effect of antihypertensive treatment on conversion rates to AD in subjects with MCI