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Table 7 Cross-sectional autopsy studies examining stroke risk factors and Alzheimer's disease pathology

From: Vascular risk factors and Alzheimer's disease: are these risk factors for plaques and tangles or for concomitant vascular pathology that increases the likelihood of dementia? An evidence-based review

  

N (mean age at death ± SD)

  

Grade

Study

Clinical AD

Control

Association

Conclusions

C2

Heitner et al. 1997 [47]; USA

 

49 DM, 52 non-DM

Negative

No differences between diabetic and age-matched non-diabetic cases in severity of AD pathology

C2

Itoh et al. 1999 [45]; Japan

48 (84.7 ± 7.3)

99 (85.9 ± 7.9)

Negative

No association between cerebral atherosclerosis and density of NPs (r = -0.1, P = 0.23)

C2

Roher et al. 2004 [42]; USA

10 (87.9 ± 5.9)

10 (86.7 ± 4.1)

Positive

Atherosclerosis score was correlated with NPs (r = 0.71, P-value not provided) and NFTs (r = 0.63, P-value not provided).

C2

Honig et al. 2005 [44]; USA

921 dementia (78.8 ± 8.8)

133 non-dementia (82.9 ± 10.0)

Positive

Severe atherosclerosis was associated with NPs (OR = 5.7, 95% CI 1.3 to 25.5) after adjustment for age, sex, and cerebral infarct, not Braak stage

C2

Beeri et al. 2006 [43]; USA

57 definite (88.9 ± 7.2);

12 probable (87.6 ± 9.3);

12 possible (85.4 ± 10.6)

18 (85.7 ± 10.6)

Positive

Coronary artery disease was significantly associated with all NPs and NFTs in the hippocampus (r ranging from 0.22 to 0.29), especially for APOE ε4 allele carriers (r = 0.34 to 0.47). Aortic atherosclerosis was not associated with either NPs or NFTs

C2

Beach et al. 2007 [41]; USA

215 (82.6 ± 8.2)

92 (84.3 ± 6.8)

Positive

Severe atherosclerosis was associated with higher risk of AD (OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.69) after adjustment for age, gender, and APOE ε4

C2

Aho et al. 2006 [50]; Finland

-

541 (484 with CVL, 68 ± 1; 57 without CVL, 71 ± 2)

Negative

No association between atherosclerosis and frequency of Aβ positivity after adjustment for age and Braak stage (no details provided)

C2

Luoto et al. 2009 [46]; Finland

-

466 (70.8 ± 11.5)

Negative

Neither NPs (r = 0.19, P = 0.70) nor NFTs (r = 0.18, P = 0.36) were associated with cerebral atherosclerosis after adjustment for age

  1. Aβ, amyloid-beta; AD, Alzheimer's disease; CI, confidence interval; CVL, cerebrovascular lesion; DM, diabetes mellitus; NFT, neurofibrillary tangle; NP, neuritic plaque; OR, odds ratio; SD, standard deviation.