Affiliations: [a] Department of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil | [b] Psychological Medicine and Psychiatry Departament, ABC region Medical School, Santo André, Brazil | [c] Division of Geriatric Cardiology; Institute of the Heart, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil | Center for Alzheimer's Research, Banner Sun Health Research Institute, Sun City, AZ, USA
Correspondence:
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Correspondence to: Tânia Corrêa de Toledo Ferraz Alves, MD, PhD, R. Ovídio de Campos s/n°, HC-FMUSP-Centro de Medicina Nuclear 3°.a (LIM21), CEP: 05403-010 – SP, Brazil. Tel.: +55 11 3069 8132; Fax: +55 11 3082 1015; E-mail: tania_alves@hotmail.com.
Abstract: Vascular risk factors can play an important role in determining the onset of non-genetic Alzheimer's disease (AD). Most cases of AD are sporadic and late-onset, and a complex interaction between genetic predisposition and vascular risk factors has been proposed. Vascular risk factors for AD include stroke, hypertension, diabetes, homocysteine, smoking, hypercholesterolemia, heart failure and atrial fibrillation; it is possible that these can trigger cerebrovascular dysfunction and AD pathology. Explanations for these associations include the coincidence of common disorders in the elderly where vascular and cerebrovascular disease can precipitate AD, implying that the onset of dementia disease is determined by a synergistic combination of risk factors. In this paper we review the role of cardiovascular risk factors in the pathogenesis of AD and discuss the associated brain mechanisms that can underlie the onset of AD. Cardiovascular diseases are a promising avenue of AD research because they are potentially modifiable in early adult life and provide a new perspective for the prevention of dementia.
