The gender difference in vascular risk factors, early cognitive impairment and progression to dementia

The effects of hypertension treatment on cognitive impairment is limited, and debate remains as to whether controlling hypertension leads to better cognitive outcomes, especially for overt dementia. Using data from the Canadian Study on Health and Aging (CSHA), we found that hypertension is associated with executive dysfunction, which contributes to the progression of dementia, but not memory dysfunction or overall cognitive impairment. It may be that executive dysfunction is characteristic of cerebrovascular disease, and that vascular risk factors significantly affect this domain. Some studies have indicated that women have a higher risk incidence rate of dementia than men, while others have not shown a difference. It is unclear whether women have a higher vascular risk than men and develop cognitive impairment, as well as progression to dementia. Therefore, our goal is to explore gender difference in vascular risk factors, treatment, and their association with cognitive impairment using data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging.

We investigated the associations between social support and socioeconomic status variables with mild cognitive impairment in this study. Using cognitive measures employed in CLSA as standards, including memory, executive function, psychomotor speed, the mild cognitive impairment was defined. Social support in CLSA was assessed using medical outcome study scale. The blood pressure (systolic and diastolic), pulse pressure, heart rate, and their average were measured. Self-reported chronic conditions and their treatments were analyzed. We found the uncontrolled high blood pressure is associated with mild cognitive impairment . We found social support is associated with mild cognitive impairment and the association becomes stronger with the intensity of social support a mildly cognitively impaired patient received. These findings suggest controlling blood pressure may be a prevention strategy for lowering mild cognitive impairment incidence. Increased social support can be an important prevention strategy for lowering mild cognitive impairment incidence.