Open AccessAssociation between atherosclerosis and Alzheimer's disease: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Author(s) -
Xie Beijia,
Shi Xinrui,
Xing Yi,
Tang Yi
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
brain and behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.915
H-Index - 41
ISSN - 2162-3279
DOI - 10.1002/brb3.1601
Subject(s) - meta analysis , medicine , cochrane library , disease , systematic review , medline , intima media thickness , strictly standardized mean difference , carotid arteries , political science , law
Abstract Background To evaluate the relationship between atherosclerosis and Alzheimer's disease (AD), we conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis to study the difference of carotid intima–media thickness (CIMT) and the prevalence of atherosclerosis between AD patients and non‐AD controls. Methods The studies on the association between atherosclerosis and AD were manually searched in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) spanned to September 2018 according to PRISMA (the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses) guidelines. Results Thirteen studies were included in the final analysis, seven studies with data on the mean CIMT (610 cases and 417 controls) and ten studies reporting on the prevalence of atherosclerosis (1,698 cases and 6,452 controls). Compared with controls, AD group showed a significantly higher CIMT (overall standard mean difference = 0.94; 95% CI, 0.48–1.40; p < .0001) and an increased prevalence of atherosclerosis (OR = 1.46; 95% CI, 1.26–1.68; p < .0001). Conclusions Atherosclerosis is significantly associated with AD. CIMT might be a useful marker to predict the risk of AD and assess the vascular burden. The finding is also important for possible prevention and treatment of AD in the future.