Do cardiovascular disease comorbidities affect the cognitive function of Multiple Sclerosis patients?

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Cardiology

Background:

• Cognitive impairment affects 40-70% of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, impacting processing speed, attention, and executive functions.
• Cardiovascular disease (CVD) comorbidities are known to exacerbate neurological decline.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors on the rate of cognitive decline in people with MS (PwMS).

Main Methods:

• 248 PwMS were evaluated over one year using the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).
• Participants were assessed for the presence of cardiovascular comorbidities.

Main Results:

• MS patients with CVD showed greater general cognitive decline and slower processing speed compared to controls.
• Comorbid diabetes and dyslipidemia led to the highest cognitive impairment, followed by hypertension.

Conclusions:

• Cardiovascular comorbidities, especially dyslipidemia, accelerate cognitive decline in MS patients.
• Recommends 6-month evaluations for these patients and highlights the utility of the SDMT due to its efficiency and correlation with MRI findings.