Association between vascular aging and cognitive function in Chinese adults.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Vascular health has been associated with cognition but related evidence is limited in Chinese. The objective of this study was to examine the association of vascular aging assessed by arterial stiffness and blood pressure with cognitive function in an unselected Chinese population. METHODS: In the Tianning Cohort (N = 5158), indicators of arterial stiffness and blood pressure including carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), ankle-brachial index (ABI), pulse pressure (PP), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were measured. Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) questionnaire. We applied Poisson regression and logistic regression to examine the associations of vascular aging and blood pressure with cognitive function. RESULTS: 76 (1.47%) participants had impaired cognitive function diagnosed by a MMSE score of less than 24 points. Participants with a higher level of PP were more likely to have a decreased score of MMSE (ß=-0.0121, P < 0.001 for log-transformed pulse pressure) and a higher risk of having impaired cognitive function (OR = 5.95, 95%CI 2.02-17.79, P < 0.001 for log-transformed PP). Per standard deviation increment in SBP was significantly associated with lower MMSE score (ß=-0.0020, P < 0.001) and impaired cognitive function (OR = 1.69, 95%CI 1.38-2.06, P < 0.001). No significant associations were found regarding other parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Blood pressure and hypertension were associated with cognitive function in Chinese adults. PP may be a potential predictor for impaired cognitive function.