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. 2021 Sep;17(9):1442-1451.
doi: 10.1002/alz.12313. Epub 2021 Mar 31.

Ophthalmic conditions associated with dementia risk: The Cardiovascular Health Study

Phillip H Hwang  1 , Will T Longstreth Jr  1   2 , Stephen M Thielke  3   4 , Courtney E Francis  5 , Marco Carone  6 , Lewis H Kuller  7 , Annette L Fitzpatrick  1   8   9
Affiliations

Ophthalmic conditions associated with dementia risk: The Cardiovascular Health Study

Phillip H Hwang et al. Alzheimers Dement. 2021 Sep.

Abstract

Introduction: Ophthalmic conditions and dementia appear to overlap and may share common pathways, but research has not differentiated dementia subtypes.

Methods: Diagnoses of cataracts, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy (DR), and glaucoma were based on medical histories and International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes for 3375 participants from the Cardiovascular Health Study. Dementia, including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD), was classified using standardized research criteria.

Results: Cataracts were associated with AD (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.34; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.01-1.80) and VaD/mixed dementia (HR = 1.41; 95% CI = 1.02-1.95). AMD was associated with AD only (HR = 1.87; 95% CI = 1.13-3.09), whereas DR was associated with VaD/mixed dementia only (HR = 2.63; 95% CI = 1.10-6.27).

Discussion: Differential associations between specific ophthalmic conditions and dementia subtypes may elucidate pathophysiologic pathways. Lack of association between glaucoma and dementia was most surprising from these analyses.

Keywords: Age-related macular degeneration; Alzheimer's disease; Cardiovascular Health Study; Cataracts; Dementia; Diabetic retinopathy; Epidemiology; Glaucoma.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations of interest: None

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Timeline of the Cardiovascular Health Study-Cognition Study
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Survival curves for cataracts, AMD, DR, and glaucoma from the primary (individual) models for all-cause dementia
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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