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Updated: Aug 6, 2026

Evaluation of the Cognitive Performance of Hypertensive Patients with Silent Cerebrovascular Lesions
Published on: April 23, 2021
Relation between vascular risk factors and cognition at age 75
P Fischer1, S Zehetmayer, K Bauer
1Ludwig Boltzmann Society, L. Boltzmann Institute of Aging Research & Department of General Psychiatry, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. peter.fischer@meduniwien.ac.at
Objective:
Recent trends in dementia research emphasize that not only cerebrovascular events but also vascular risk factors induce, favour or cause cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.
Material And Methods:
We evaluated vascular risk factors (blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, HbA1c, homocysteine, lipoprotein(a), fibrinogen, C-reactive protein and smoking habits) in a community-based cohort of 75-year-old individuals of two districts in Vienna (247 men, 359 women) and correlated these risk factors with overall cognition.
Results:
Pathological vascular risk factors were found frequently in the age cohort. However, the expected associations between the Mini-Mental State Examination and any cardiovascular risk factors were missing. Only individuals with a positive history of smoking showed lower cognitive capacities.
Conclusions:
We assume that cognitive dysfunction in old age is connected to factors other than the known classical and novel risk factors for the development of cardiovascular disease.
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