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Vascular risk factors and cognitive function among 3763 participants in the Hypertension in the Very Elderly Trial (HYVET): a cross-sectional analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 February 2009

Ruth Peters ,
Nigel Beckett ,
Françoise Forette ,
Jaakko Tuomilehto ,
Craig Ritchie ,
Ivan Walton ,
Adam Waldman ,
Robert Clarke ,
Ruth Poulter  and
Astrid Fletcher
...Show all authors
Ruth Peters*
Affiliation:
Care of the Elderly, Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, London, U.K.
Nigel Beckett
Affiliation:
Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, London, U.K.
Françoise Forette
Affiliation:
Le Groupe Hospitalier Broca, Paris, France
Jaakko Tuomilehto
Affiliation:
National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland
Craig Ritchie
Affiliation:
Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, London, U.K.
Ivan Walton
Affiliation:
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, U.K.
Adam Waldman
Affiliation:
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, U.K.
Robert Clarke
Affiliation:
Clinical Trials Research Unit, University of Oxford, U.K.
Ruth Poulter
Affiliation:
Care of the Elderly, Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, London, U.K.
Astrid Fletcher
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Population Heath, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, U.K.
Christopher Bulpitt
Affiliation:
Care of the Elderly, Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, London, U.K.
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Dr. Ruth Peters, Care of the Elderly, Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, Du Cane Rd, London W12 0NN, U.K. Tel. +44 (0)20 83833959; Fax. +44 (0)20 83833378. Email: r.peters@imperial.ac.uk.
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Abstract

Background: It is well known that the global population is aging and that those over the age of 80 are the fastest growing part of this expansion. Also known is that prevalence of hypertension and cognitive decline both increase with increasing age.

Method: The Hypertension in the Very Elderly Trial (HYVET) was a double blind placebo-controlled trial of antihypertensive treatment (indapamide SR 1.5 mg ± perindopril 2–4 mg) and recruited only those hypertensives who were aged 80 or over and were without a diagnosis of dementia at baseline. Systolic blood pressure had to be in the range 160–199 mmHg and diastolic pressure <110 mmHg. Cognitive function was assessed at baseline using the Mini-mental State Examination prior to randomization into the trial. Also collected at baseline was information relating to sociodemographic, clinical, cardiovascular and biochemical factors which may impact upon cognitive function. This paper reports on the baseline cognitive function data from the HYVET trial and its relationship to these factors.

Results: The mean age of the 3763 HYVET participants who had full cognitive function data at baseline was 83.6 years; 60 percent were female. The median MMSE score at baseline was 26 and, in multivariate analyses, higher at younger age, with male gender, higher educational level, having higher creatinine, higher total cholesterol and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

Conclusions: This is the first such study to examine a large number of very elderly hypertensives and it shows some similar patterns to those seen in younger elderly groups.

Keywords

hypertensionHYVETcognitive functionolder adultblood pressureMMSE
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 21 , Issue 2 , April 2009 , pp. 359 - 368
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2009

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