Prevalence, incidence and associations of dementia with cardiovascular risk factors in the Latin American and Caribbean population. A population‐based cohort study of 10/66 Dementia Research Group

Abstract

BackgroundLatin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries are experiencing unprecedentedly rapid demographic ageing. Growing evidence shows that cardiovascular health (CVH) is associated with brain health. Little is known about this topic among older adults in Latin America, where the number of people living with dementia is rising. The present study aimed to examine the prevalence, incidence and associations of socioeconomic determinants and cardiovascular risk factors with dementia across six LAC countries.MethodsThe 10/66 Dementia Research Group has carried out population‐based catchment area surveys, using a common protocol, in six Latin‐American countries Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico and Venezuela of all over 65 year old (n = 12 704). An incidence wave was conducted 4 ‐5 years after cohort inception, 8 502 participants were reinter viewed, contributing 34 000 person‐years of follow‐up. The outcomes were 10/66 dementia and DSM IV dementia. An index of modifiable CVH factors (ranging from 0 to 14) was calculated. Incident dementia was modeled using competing risks regression to adjust for risk of death.ResultsThe prevalence of dementia varied widely across different countries, ranging from 4.8% in Peru and 11.7% in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Incidence of 10/66 dementia varied between 18.2 (95% CI 14.3‐23.0) per 1000 person‐years in Peru to 30.4 (25.5‐36.3) per 1000 person‐years in Mexico. Being male, having higher education and younger age were all protective of dementia. Specific cognitive tests including literacy, verbal fluency and motor sequencing had also similar protective associations with dementia, providing more supporting evidence for the cognitive reserve hypothesis. Compared to poor CVH, participants with moderate and ideal levels of CVH had a significantly lower risk of dementia both in the unadjusted (subhazard ratio for moderate: 0.77; ideal: 0.59) and adjusted models (moderate: 0.73; ideal: 0.66).ConclusionsThe prevalence of dementia in the older Latin American and Caribbean population is high. Moderate and ideal levels of CVH in old age may protect against dementia incidence. These findings may inform health promotion efforts within dementia national plans adopted recently in some Latin American countries