Relationship between brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity and cognitive function in an elderly community-dwelling...

Arterial stiffness (AS) and metabolic syndrome (MS) may correlate with poor cognitive function in elderly people. However, few studies have evaluated this relationship in a healthy, community-dwelling elderly population. Our aim was to evaluate a relationship between the AS measured by pulse wave velocity (PWV) and cognitive function and to know whether the relationship is influenced by the presence of MS. Our study population was community-dwelling healthy people in Geumsan province, Republic of Korea. A total of 370 participants without a history of cerebrovascular disease were evaluated with the Korean version of the mini-mental state examination (K-MMSE) and have measured the brachial-ankle PWV (baPWV). Correlation between baPWV and cognitive status and effect of MS were measured. Negative correlation between PWV and cognitive function was found in the older subjects (> or = 60 years of age) with MS (r=-0.38; p<0.05). In the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the cut-off score was 1800.8 cm/s with 67% sensitivity and 78% specificity. Aging (older than 60 years) and the presence of MS may affect synergistically cognitive decline in the elderly population. The baPWV can be a useful predictor for cognitive decline in elderly healthy community-dwelling population with MS.