The Relationship of Coronary Artery Calcium and Clinical Coronary Artery Disease with Cognitive Function: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Congying Xia, Marleen Vonder, Grigory Sidorenkov, Matthijs Oudkerk, Jan Cees de Groot, Pim van der Harst, Geertruida H. de Bock, Peter Paul De Deyn, Rozemarijn Vliegenthart
Abstract
AIM: Coronary artery disease (CAD) and cognitive impairment are common in the elderly, with evidence for shared risk factors and pathophysiological processes. The coronary artery calcium (CAC) score is a marker of subclinical CAD, which may allow early detection of individuals prone to cognitive decline. Prior studies on associations of CAC and clinical CAD with cognitive impairment had discrepant results. This systematic review aims to evaluate the association of (sub)clinical CAD with cognitive function, cognitive decline, and diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science until February 2019, supplemented with citations tracking. Two reviewers independently screened studies and extracted information including odds ratios (ORs) and hazard ratios (HRs). RESULTS: =14.1%, p=0.32). Sensitivity analysis did not detect any study that was of particular influence on the pooled OR or HR. CONCLUSIONS: Limited evidence suggests the CAC score is associated with risk of dementia. In clinical CAD, risk of MCI and dementia is increased by 50%, as supported by stronger evidence.