TY - JOUR
T1 - Cardiovascular and lifestyle risk factors of mild cognitive impairment in UK veterans and non-veterans
AU - Akhanemhe, R
AU - Stevelink, S A M
AU - Corbett, A
AU - Ballard, C
AU - Brooker, H
AU - Creese, B
AU - Aarsland, Dag
AU - Hampshire, Adam
AU - Greenberg, Neil
N1 - © The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine.
PY - 2024/6/11
Y1 - 2024/6/11
N2 - BACKGROUND: The link between poor cardiovascular health (CVH), lifestyle and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has been well established in the general population. However, there is limited research exploring these associations in ageing UK veterans.AIMS: This study explored the risk of MCI and its association with nine CVH and lifestyle risk factors (including diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, stroke, physical inactivity, the frequency of alcohol consumption and smoking) in UK veterans and non-veterans.METHODS: This prospective cohort study comprised data from the PROTECT study between 2014 and 2022. Participants comprised of UK military veterans and non-veterans aged ≥50 years at baseline. Veteran status was defined using the Military Service History Questionnaire. CVH and lifestyle risk factors were defined using a combination of self-report measures, medication history or physical measurements. MCI was defined as the presence of subjective and objective cognitive impairment.RESULTS: Based on a sample of 9378 veterans (n = 488) and non-veterans (n = 8890), the findings showed the risk of MCI significantly reduced in veterans with obesity, those who frequently consumed alcohol and were physically inactive compared to non-veterans. The risk of MCI significantly increased in veterans with diabetes (hazards ratio [HR] = 2.22, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04-4.75, P ≤ 0.05) or high cholesterol (HR = 3.11, 95% CI 1.64-5.87, P ≤ 0.05) compared to veterans without.CONCLUSIONS: This study identified CVH and lifestyle factors of MCI in UK veterans and non-veterans. Further work is needed to understand these associations and the underpinning mechanisms which could determine intervention strategies to reduce the risk of MCI.
AB - BACKGROUND: The link between poor cardiovascular health (CVH), lifestyle and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has been well established in the general population. However, there is limited research exploring these associations in ageing UK veterans.AIMS: This study explored the risk of MCI and its association with nine CVH and lifestyle risk factors (including diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, stroke, physical inactivity, the frequency of alcohol consumption and smoking) in UK veterans and non-veterans.METHODS: This prospective cohort study comprised data from the PROTECT study between 2014 and 2022. Participants comprised of UK military veterans and non-veterans aged ≥50 years at baseline. Veteran status was defined using the Military Service History Questionnaire. CVH and lifestyle risk factors were defined using a combination of self-report measures, medication history or physical measurements. MCI was defined as the presence of subjective and objective cognitive impairment.RESULTS: Based on a sample of 9378 veterans (n = 488) and non-veterans (n = 8890), the findings showed the risk of MCI significantly reduced in veterans with obesity, those who frequently consumed alcohol and were physically inactive compared to non-veterans. The risk of MCI significantly increased in veterans with diabetes (hazards ratio [HR] = 2.22, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04-4.75, P ≤ 0.05) or high cholesterol (HR = 3.11, 95% CI 1.64-5.87, P ≤ 0.05) compared to veterans without.CONCLUSIONS: This study identified CVH and lifestyle factors of MCI in UK veterans and non-veterans. Further work is needed to understand these associations and the underpinning mechanisms which could determine intervention strategies to reduce the risk of MCI.
KW - Humans
KW - Cognitive Dysfunction/epidemiology
KW - Male
KW - Veterans/statistics & numerical data
KW - Female
KW - United Kingdom/epidemiology
KW - Prospective Studies
KW - Middle Aged
KW - Risk Factors
KW - Aged
KW - Life Style
KW - Cardiovascular Diseases/epidemiology
KW - Cohort Studies
KW - Obesity/epidemiology
U2 - 10.1093/occmed/kqae027
DO - 10.1093/occmed/kqae027
M3 - Article
C2 - 38807535
SN - 0962-7480
VL - 74
SP - 274
EP - 282
JO - Occupational medicine (Oxford, England)
JF - Occupational medicine (Oxford, England)
IS - 4
ER -
