Hardened arteries linked to risk of dementia

The research points to a strong link between heart and artery health and the risk of developing dementia.

Stiffness and narrowing of the arteries is caused by the build-up of hard scaly material on blood vessel walls.

The study found that even in people who appeared healthy, artery hardening was associated with brain deposits of beta-amyloid protein, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.

Scientists studied 91 people with an average age of 87 who had no symptoms of dementia. Scans were taken of their brains and arterial stiffnesss measured by comparing blood pressure in the ankle and arm.

For every unit increase in arterial stiffness, patients were twice as likely to have beta-amyloid brain plaques.

People with beta-amyloid deposits were also more likely to be suffering from high blood pressure. Arterial stiffness was highest in those participants who had both amyloid plaques and white matter brain lesions, regions of neurological damage.

“These two conditions may be a ‘double-hit’ that contributes to the development of dementia,” said lead researcher Dr Timothy Hughes, from the University of Pittsburgh in the US. “Compared to people who had low amounts of amyloid plaques and brain lesions, each unit of increase in arterial stiffness was associated with a two to four-fold increase in the odds of having both amyloid plaques and a high amount of brain lesions. This is more evidence that cardiovascular health leads to a healthy brain.”

The scientists, whose research is published in the latest online issue of the journal Neurology, based their findings on the Ankle Brachial Index (ABI) – a measurement of the ratio of blood pressure in the lower legs and the arms.

They found that people with hardened arteries were more likely to have beta-amyloid plaques even in the absence of high blood pressure.

Dr Doug Brown, director of research and development at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “This research suggests that hardening of the blood vessels could contribute to dementia in more than one way, providing further evidence that what’s good for your heart is good for your brain. You can be kind to these vital organs and reduce your risk of developing dementia by taking part in regular exercise, eating a balanced diet and avoiding smoking.”