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Microinfarcts are common and strongly related to dementia in the oldest‐old: The 90+ study
Author(s) -
Corrada María M.,
Sonnen Joshua A.,
Kim Ronald C.,
Kawas Claudia H.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.713
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1552-5279
pISSN - 1552-5260
DOI - 10.1016/j.jalz.2016.04.006
Subject(s) - dementia , cohort , odds ratio , medicine , cohort study , memory clinic , gerontology , population , disease , environmental health
We estimated the prevalence of microinfarcts and their association with dementia in a cohort of oldest‐old participants. Methods Participants were from The 90+ Study, a population‐based study of people 90 years and older. Dementia diagnoses were assigned postmortem during a consensus conference. Microinfarcts were evaluated in six brain regions. Results At death, the 213 participants were on average 97 years old, 69% were women, and 52% had dementia. Of the participants, 51% had microinfarcts and 17% had 3+ microinfarcts. The odds ratio (OR) for dementia was similar for 3+ microinfarcts (OR = 4.75, P < .01) and tangle stage V–VI (OR = 4.70, P < .001). Only microinfarcts in cortical regions (other than occipital) were associated to dementia. Discussion In this oldest‐old cohort, microinfarcts are common and contribute independently and similarly in magnitude to dementia as tangles. As risk factors for microinfarcts and other dementing pathologies are likely to differ, identifying these factors is crucial to developing prevention strategies for dementia in the oldest‐old.