Relationship between atherosclerotic and cardiac biomarkers detected by cardiac computed tomography and cognitive function in geriatric population

The incidence of dementia is on the rise due to the aging population worldwide. This study aims to establish the relationship between atherosclerotic and cardiac markers obtained from coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and identify risk factors that negatively impact cognitive function. We included 118 patients aged 65 years and over who underwent CCTA for any reason at Hacettepe University Hospital. These patients underwent comprehensive geriatric assessment at the Geriatric Medicine Clinic. We evaluated participants' demographic, clinical features, laboratory findings, comorbidities and cognitive functions. Cognitive assessments included the Mini-Mental State Examination, clock drawing test, Q-mci test (Quick-mild cognitive impairment), digit span test, and phonemic verbal fluency test. We examined the relationship between atherosclerosis markers obtained by CCTA measurement and cognitive assessment scales. The mean age of the patients included in our study was 71.1 ± 4.3 years. Of the patients, 40.7% were male and 59.3% were female. Education levels varied, with 8.5% being illiterate, 38.1% having completed primary school, 8.5% middle school, 11.9% high school, and 33.1% university graduates. Worse performance on the digit span test and other cognitive tests was observed in patients with higher cardiac plaque burdens. We demonstrated that elevated markers of cardiac atherosclerosis may impact global cognition, memory, attention, and executive functions. Patients with higher coronary artery calcium scores, cardiac 'P' values, and aortic valve calcification values are at risk for cognitive impairment. Screening these patients for cognitive impairment on time could help identify them in the pre-dementia or early dementia stages.