Yonsei Med J.  2015 Jan;56(1):89-94. 10.3349/ymj.2015.56.1.89.

Insulin Resistance Is an Important Risk Factor for Cognitive Impairment in Elderly Patients with Primary Hypertension

• Ma L
• Feng M
• Qian Y
• Yang W
• Liu J
• Han R
• Zhu H
• Li Y

• KMID: 2352793
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2015.56.1.89

Abstract

PURPOSE
Insulin resistance plays a role in the development of dementia and hypertension. We investigated a possible relationship between cognitive impairment and insulin resistance in elderly Chinese patients with primary hypertension.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
One hundred and thirty-two hypertensive elderly patients (>60 years) were enrolled in this study, and assigned into either the cognitive impairment group (n=61) or the normal cognitive group (n=71). Gender, age, education, body mass index (BMI), waist hip ratio (WHR), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), C-reactive protein (CRP), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), creatinine (Cr), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), fasting insulin (FINS), homeostasis model of assessment for insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, smoking history, atherosclerosis and the proportion of uncontrolled hypertension were compared between the two groups. Multi-factorial logistic regression analysis was performed.
RESULTS
No significant differences were found in gender, age, TC, CRP, HDL-C, LDL-C, Cr, BP, smoking history, atherosclerosis and the proportion of uncontrolled hypertension between the two groups. The cognitive impairment group had lower education levels, and higher BMI, WHR, TG, FPG, FINS, and HOMA-IR levels than the control group. Logistic regression analysis revealed the levels of education, BMI, WHR, and HOMA-IR as independent factors that predict cognitive impairment in patients.
CONCLUSION
Our study demonstrates that poor education and increased BMI, WHR, and HOMA-IR are independent risk factors for cognitive impairment in elderly patients with hypertension. Insulin resistance plays an important role in the development of cognitive impairment in primary elderly hypertensive patients.

Keyword

Hypertension; insulin resistance; cognitive impairment; elderly; risk factor

MeSH Terms

Aged
Case-Control Studies
Cognition Disorders/*etiology
Female
Humans
Hypertension/*complications
*Insulin Resistance
Logistic Models
Male
Risk Factors

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