Mid-life association between cardiovascular risk factors and cerebral blood flow in a multi-ethnic population
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Background
Cardiovascular (CV) risk factors are associated with cerebrovascular damage and cognitive decline in late life. However, it is unknown how different ethnic CV risk profiles are related to cerebral haemodynamics in mid-life. We aimed to investigate associations of CV risk factors with cerebral haemodynamics at two timepoints and examine the impact of ethnicity on these measures.
Methods
From the HELIUS study (53.0 years, 44.8% female), participants of Dutch (n=236), Moroccan (n=122), or South-Asian Surinamese (n=173) descent were included. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) and its spatial coefficient of variation (sCoV, marker of macrovascular efficiency) were obtained in both grey (GM) and white matter (WM). Associations of CV risk factors, WM hyperintensities (WMH), and carotid plaques with cerebral haemodynamics were investigated using linear regressions.
Results
CBF and sCoV differed per ethnicity. Only at the second visit associations were found, without an interaction with ethnicity; history of CV disease with lower GM CBF and higher WM sCoV, higher total cholesterol and lower WMH volume with lower WM CBF, smoking with higher WM sCoV, and higher SBP with lower GM sCoV.
Conclusions
These findings emphasise the need to further explore the longitudinal effects of midlife risk factors and cerebrovascular health, and its interaction with ethnicity.
