December 1, 2023- Adults diagnosed with coronary heart disease, especially before the age of 45, may be at increased risk of developing dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia later in life, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
The researchers assessed the potential relationship between age at coronary heart disease onset and the development of dementia by analyzing health data from the UK Biobank.
The analysis found:
- Among the 432,667 participants in the study, there were 5,876 cases of dementia, 2,540 cases of Alzheimer’s disease and 1,220 cases of vascular dementia that occurred over an average of 13 years of follow-up.
- Compared with participants who did not have coronary heart disease, participants with coronary heart disease had higher risks of developing dementia from any cause, Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.
- After adjusting the analysis for demographic and lifestyle factors, participants with coronary heart disease had a 36% increased risk of developing dementia, a 13% increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s and a 78% greater risk of developing vascular dementia.
- Earlier coronary heart disease-onset was associated with a 25% increased risk of dementia, a 29% increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease and a 22% increased risk of vascular dementia.