Cent Eur J Public Health 2024, 32(1):9-15 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a7848

The relationship between atherosclerosis and dementia

Jana Janoutová¹, Ondřej Machaczka^{2, 3}, Martina Kovalová^{2, 3, 9}, Anna Zatloukalová^{2, 3}, Petr Ambroz^{2, 3}, Veronika Koutná¹, Eva Mrázková⁹, Michal Bar⁴, Martin Roubec^{4, 5}, Petra Bártová⁴, Richard Novobilský^{4, 5}, Martin Sabela^{4, 5}, Pavlína Kušnierová^{6, 7}, David Stejskal^{6, 7}, Lucie Faldynová⁸, Sylwia Walczysková⁸, Martin Vališ^{11, 12}, Lukáš Školoudík^{11, 12}, Petra Šolínová¹², David Školoudík¹⁰, Vladimír Janout¹

¹ Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic

² Science and Research Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic

³ Department of Health Management and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic

⁴ Department of Neurology, University Hospital Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic

⁵ Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic

⁶ Department of Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic

⁷ Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic

⁸ Department of Molecular and Clinical Pathology and Medical Genetics, University Hospital Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic

⁹ Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic

¹⁰ Centre for Health Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic

¹¹ Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic

¹² University Hospital Hradec Králové, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic

Objective: The main objective is to confirm a hypothesis that atherosclerosis, through various mechanisms, considerably influences cognitive impairment and significantly increases the risk for developing dementia. Complete sample should be 920 individuals. The present study aimed to analyse epidemiological data from a questionnaire survey.

Methods: The work was carried out in the form of an epidemiological case control study. Subjects are enrolled in the study based on results of the following examinations carried out in neurology departments and outpatient centres during the project NU20-09-00119 from 2020 to 2023. Respondents were divided into four research groups according to the results of clinical examination for the presence of atherosclerosis and dementia. The survey was mainly concerned with risk factors for both atherosclerosis and dementia. It contained questions on lifestyle factors, cardiovascular risk factors, leisure activities, and hobbies.

Results: Analysis of the as yet incomplete sample of 877 subjects has yielded the following selected results: on average, 16% of subjects without dementia had primary education while the proportion was 45.2% in the group with both dementia and atherosclerosis. Subjects with dementia did mainly physical work. Low physical activity was more frequently noted in dementia groups (Group 2 - 54.4% and Group 3 - 47.2%) than in subjects without dementia (Group 1 - 19.6% and Group 4 - 25.8%). Coronary heart disease was more frequently reported by dementia patients (33.95%) than those without dementia (16.05%).

Conclusion: Cognitively impaired individuals, in particular those with vascular cognitive impairment, have poorer quality of life and shorter survival. Risk factors contributing to such impairment are similar to those for ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke. It may be concluded that most of the analysed risk factors play a role in the development of both atherosclerosis and dementia.

Keywords: dementia, atherosclerosis, risk factors, prevention, epidemiology

Received: April 22, 2023; Revised: February 15, 2024; Accepted: February 15, 2024; Published: March 31, 2024  Show citation