DALLAS: Adults aged at least 80 years are more likely to experience the effects of dementia than CVD, according to research.
Coronary artery calcium (CAC) was identified as a determinant of mortality, CHD and MI in this population.
All participants underwent a yearly cognitive evaluation at the clinic or during home visits. Electron bean tomography scanning was used to measure CAC.
The final analysis included 311 of 433 patients who did not have clinical CAD in 1998 or 1999. Of those, the majority were white women (n = 157).
According to the findings, 36% of patients had a CAC score > 400 Hounsfield units. An elevated CAC score was associated with increased total mortality (HR = 1.73; 95% CI, 1.18-2.54). Although only 16% of the 422 deaths reported were determined to be caused by dementia, 64% of all patients who died had been diagnosed with dementia before their death. Twenty-five percent of the deaths were determined to be due to CHD…