Abstract
Background and aim
Changes of arterial stiffness indicate alteration in arterial mechanics predisposing
to the evolution of stroke or vascular dementia. The aim of this pilot study was to
investigate whether ultrasound parameters, particularly beta stiffness index (BSI),
should be further explored as independent markers or risk factors for dementia.
Patients and methods
There were 38 demented patients included in this study (72.53±7.87 yrs) and 33 clinically healthy controls (68.85±3.52 yrs). Risk factors were noted and ultrasound measurements performed on common
carotid artery (CCA) using eTracking software on Aloka ProSound ALPHA 10 with 13 MHz
linear probe. Level of significance was p<0.05.
Results
Arterial hypertension was present in 24 patients, atrial fibrillation in 9, diabetes
in 3, and hypercholesterolemia in 18. Hypertension was present as a single risk factor
in 15 controls with average diastolic blood pressure significantly lower in patients.
Significantly higher in patients were mean intima-media thickness, systolic and diastolic
CCA diameters (CD), and mean BSI in CCA bilaterally. Linear regression analysis for
groups of Alzheimer's dementia and vascular dementia proved that MMSE of the two groups
relates to CCA diameter change (CDc) and BSI change explaining up to 5% of variability.
Conclusions
CD, CDc and BSI should be monitored in patients with cognitive decline and further
explored as possible independent markers or risk factors; in future studies groups
of demented and non-demented patients should be age, sex and risk factor matched.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 16, 2009
Identification
Copyright
© 2009 Elsevier B.V. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
