Cognitive impairment and p-tau217 are high in a vascular patient cohort

INTRODUCTION: Vascular comorbidities are modifiable contributors to cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease (AD), yet brain health outcomes are rarely evaluated in cardiovascular patients. METHODS: This study prospectively evaluated cognition and AD pathology in 162 community-dwelling adults with asymptomatic cardiovascular disease who did not have a clinical diagnosis of dementia or cognitive impairment. RESULTS: Twenty-nine percent of the cohort had Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores indicative of cognitive impairment or dementia after adjusting for age, sex, and education based on National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center normative data. AD blood biomarker phosphorylated tau217 was elevated in 55% of the cohort, significantly associated with decreased MoCA scores (β = −1.46, 95% confidence interval [CI] −2.53 to −0.39, p < 0.01), and accurately differentiated cognitive impairment (area under the curve 0.94, 95% CI 0.88–0.99). DISCUSSION: This level of undiagnosed cognitive impairment and AD pathology exceeds what would be expected in the general population and highlights a potential need for screening and future work to better identify treatment options. Highlights: Brain health outcomes are rarely evaluated in vascular patients. One hundred sixty-two adults with asymptomatic cardiovascular disease but without diagnoses of cognitive impairment or dementia were evaluated. Phosphorylated tau217 accurately differentiated cognitive impairment in patients with cardiovascular disease. High levels of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease pathology are greatly underdiagnosed in the cardiovascular population.