Aggregation of vascular risk factors and risk of incident Alzheimer disease

The prevalence of Alzheimer disease (AD) is increasing in the elderly, and vascular risk factors may increase its risk.

To explore the association of the aggregation of vascular risk factors with AD.

The authors followed 1,138 individuals without dementia at baseline (mean age 76.2) for a mean of 5.5 years. The presence of vascular risk factors was related to incident possible and probable AD.

Four risk factors (diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and current smoking) were associated with a higher risk of AD (p