WASHINGTON, D.C.: A simple, noninvasive exam of skin autofluorescence (SAF), which measures levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), may help screen for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in adults with prehypertension, new research suggests[1]. Past research has shown an association between accumulated AGEs and Alzheimer’s disease.
In the new study of 215 individuals older than 40 years living in Japan with an average 128+12 mm Hg systolic and 74+9 mm Hg diastolic blood pressure, those with MCI had significantly greater SAF vs the participants with normal cognitive function (P<0.001). After adjustment for multiple factors such as age, sex, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), glomerular filtration rate (GFR), urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (UACR), and brachial ankle pulse-wave velocity (baPWV), those with the highest SAF were more than four times more likely to have MCI than those with the lowest SAF (odds ratio [OR] 4.43, 95% CI 1.2–16.4, P=0.03). "Even a one-unit increase in SAF had a progressive effect on developing cognitive impairment," lead author Dr Michiya Igase (Ehime University, Japan) said....