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by
Paul E. Schulz |
Total Records (
2 ) for
Paul E. Schulz |
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Yogeshwar V. Kalkonde
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Ali Jawaid
,
Salah U. Qureshi
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Peyman Shirani
,
Michael Wheaton
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Gineth P. Pinto- Patarroyo
and
Paul E. Schulz
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Background
Compared with other major dementias, very little is known about the medical and environmental risk factors associated with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). In this study, we evaluated medical and environmental disorders associated with FTD in a veteran population.
Methods
The medical records of 845 consecutive veterans who were evaluated for cognitive and/or behavioral complaints at a cognitive disorders clinic in an academic medical center between March 1, 2003, and June 30, 2008, were reviewed and 554 patients received a diagnosis of dementia. Medical disorders and environmental risk factors in 63 patients with behavioral variant of FTD were compared with 491 patients with non-FTD dementias.
Results
The prevalence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) was significantly greater in patients with FTD versus those with non-FTD dementias (12.7% vs 3.5%; P < .05). The FTD group also had a lower prevalence of heart disease (19.0% vs 36.7%; P < .05) and cerebrovascular diseases (12.7% vs 26.1%; P < .05), although the prevalence of vascular risk factors was comparable between FTD and non-FTD dementia groups: hypertension (65.1% vs 68.2%), diabetes (31.7% vs 26.9%), hyperlipidemia (42.9% vs 48.9%), and tobacco use (7.9% vs 8.8%; P > .05 for all). In multivariate analysis, the risk for FTD was increased in patients with TBI (OR, 4.4; 95% CI, 1.6–11.8). The risk for FTD was marginally decreased in patients with heart disease (OR, 0.4; 95% CI, 0.3–0.96).
Conclusions
In a clinical sample of veterans, risk of FTD was increased in patients with TBI and marginally decreased in patients with heart disease. Prospective studies are needed to confirm these associations temporally and to identify their underlying mechanisms. |
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Michael L. Johnson
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Niraj Parikh
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Mark E. Kunik
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Paul E. Schulz
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Jeetvan G. Patel
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Hua Chen
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Rajender R. Aparasu
and
Robert O. Morgan
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Background
Diabetes and hypertension are independent risk factors for dementia, and hypertension may increase this risk in patients with diabetes. It is unclear whether antihypertensive drugs are associated with risk of dementia in these patients.
Methods
A retrospective study using a national cohort of beneficiaries of the Department of Veterans Affairs who have diabetes examined incidence of dementia over a 2-year follow-up period. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to estimate the unique effects of comorbid hypertension and antihypertensive medications on risk of dementia, after adjusting for several potential confounders.
Results
In all, 377,838 patients were studied (mean age: 75.53 ± 6.07 years). After adjustments were made for sociodemographic factors, duration of diabetes, comorbidity, and comedications, hypertension was associated with increased risk of developing dementia (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.08; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.03, 1.14). Antihypertensive medications decreased risk, ranging from 24% for angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) to 4% for β-blockers. In a stratified analysis of patients without hypertension, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (HR = 0.81; 95% CI = 0.69, 0.94) and ARBs (HR = 0.55; 95% CI = 0.34, 0.88) continued to show protective effects.
Conclusions
Comorbid hypertension was associated with increased risk of dementia, whereas antihypertensive medications, especially angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and ARBs, were associated with reduced risk, even among patients without hypertension. Consequently, these agents may have potential therapeutic roles in delaying the onset of dementia in patients with diabetes. |
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