[Vascular risk factors and cognitive performance in patients 50 to 65 years-old]. / Factores de riesgo vascular y rendimiento cognitivo en personas de 50 a 65 años.

INTRODUCTION: Vascular risk factors (VRF) have been related to cognitive deficits and an increased risk of dementia. Cognitive impairment is considered to be one of the earliest manifestations of cerebrovascular disease. In Spain there is a high prevalence of VRF, but also one of the lowest incidences of cerebrovascular disease in Europe. This is the first study that investigates the relationship between VRF and cognition in a Spanish sample. METHODS: A total of 90 people aged between 50-65 years with a low-to-moderate cardiovascular risk underwent a neuropsychological evaluation. None of them had a history of cardiovascular disease. The battery included tests assessing executive, attentional, mnesic, visuospatial and motor-speed/coordination functions. We used correlation and inter-groups comparison to relate VRF to multiple cognitive domains0120. RESULTS: Higher stroke risk was significantly related to a lowered profile in visuo-constructive functions and motor-speed/coordination. Moreover, the group with moderate cardiovascular risk showed a lower performance in visuoconstructive functions compared to the low-risk group. After statistical adjustment for age, sex and years of scholarship VRF were only related to motor-speed/coordination. CONCLUSIONS: In healthy, middle-aged adults, VRF are related with impairment in two cognitive domains. This effect is slight and tends to appear in people with moderate cardiovascular risk.

Factores de riesgo vascular y rendimiento cognitivo en personas de 50 a 65 años / Vascular risk factors and cognitive performance in patients 50 to 65 years-old

Introducción: Los factores de riesgo vascular (FRV) se han relacionado con déficit cognitivos e incremento del riesgo de demencia. De hecho, el deterioro cognitivo es considerado como una de las primeras manifestaciones de enfermedad cerebrovascular. En nuestro país se ha registrado una elevada prevalencia de FRV junto a una incidencia de ictus de las más bajas de Europa. Éste es el primer estudio con población española que investiga la relación entre los FRV y el rendimiento cognitivo en la edad adulta. Métodos: Se ha realizado evaluación neuropsicológica a 90 personas de 50-65 años de edad con riesgo cardiovascular bajo, leve y moderado, sin historia de enfermedad cardiovascular. Se les administró una batería de test sensible a funciones ejecutivas, atencionales, mnésicas, visuoconstuctivas y de velocidad/coordinación visuomotriz. Se han hecho análisis de correlación y comparación entre grupos para estudiar la relación entre los FRV y las diferentes funciones cognitivas.Resultados: Se observó una relación estadísticamente significativa entre un mayor riesgo vascular y un peor rendimiento en funciones visuoconstructivas y en velocidad/coordinación visuomotriz. Además, el grupo de riesgo moderado presentó un rendimiento significativamente inferior respecto al de riesgo bajo en funciones visuoconstructivas. Tras covariar por edad, sexo y años de escolaridad los FRV únicamente se relacionaron con velocidad/coordinación visuomotriz.Conclusiones: Los FRV en personas de mediana edad están relacionados con disminución del rendimiento en dos funciones cognitivas. La afectación es leve y tiende a evidenciarse en personas con un riesgo moderado (AU)

Introduction: Vascular risk factors (VRF) have been related to cognitive deficits and an increased risk of dementia. Cognitive impairment is considered to be one of the earliest manifestations of cerebrovascular disease. In Spain there is a high prevalence of VRF, but also one of the lowest incidences of cerebrovascular disease in Europe. This is the first study that investigates the relationship between VRF and cognition in a Spanish sample. Methods: A total of 90 people aged between 50-65 years with a low-to-moderate cardiovascular risk underwent a neuropsychological evaluation. None of them had a history of cardiovascular disease. The battery included tests assessing executive, attentional, mnesic, visuospatial and motor-speed/coordination functions. We used correlation and inter-groups comparison to relate VRF to multiple cognitive domains.Results: Higher stroke risk was significantly related to a lowered profile in visuo-constructive functions and motor-speed/coordination. Moreover, the group with moderate cardiovascular risk showed a lower performance in visuoconstructive functions compared to the low-risk group. After statistical adjustment for age, sex and years of scholarship VRF were only related to motor-speed/coordination. Conclusions: In healthy, middle-aged adults, VRF are related with impairment in two cognitive domains. This effect is slight and tends to appear in people with moderate cardiovascular risk (AU)