Cardiovascular Comorbidities in Relation to the Functional Status and Vitamin D Levels in Elderly Patients with Dementia

Abstract

(1) Background: As dementia is an incurable, multifactorial neurodegenerative disease, we gathered and analyzed a number of patient characteristics, assessing possible correlations that may support early diagnosis and a more accurate prognosis for cognitively impaired patients. (2) Methods: We used standard clinical parameters (cognitive and functional status, comorbidities, and plasma vitamin D levels) in a study group of 162 patients aged above 55 years old. (3) Results: We reported a higher incidence of cardiovascular and metabolic comorbidities in patients with severe or moderate cognitive impairment; a validated correlation between functional status, cognitive status, and serum vitamin D levels; and a more frequently associated profile of neurologic comorbidities in patients with a more significant cognitive deficiency. (4) Conclusions: The present research adds data on the significant correlations of cognitive deficits with cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurologic diseases (and the lack of correlation with osteoarticular illness). Clinicians should make the best use of the current screening and assessment tools (such as the functional scoring of daily activities, cognitive evaluation, and the screening of risk factors). Our data may offer starting points for future in-depth analysis of dementia-modifiable risk factors.

Keywords: cardiovascular risk; cognitive decline; dementia; depression; functional status; vitamin D deficiency.

Figure 1

Histograms of Pearson model correlation of cognitive status in the (a) active group and (b) control group, showing a median Pearson correlation between the regression variables and dependent variables in the control group and a high dependence for some comorbidities (especially cardiovascular) and functional status in the cognitively impaired subgroup.