Midlife respiratory function and Incidence of Alzheimer's disease: A 29-year longitudinal study in women

Guo, Xinxin; Waern, Margda; Sjögren, Karin; Lissner, Lauren; Bengtsson, Calle; Björkelund, Cecilia; Östling, Svante; Gustafson, Deborah; Skoog, Ingmar

doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2006.01.008

« Previous Next »Neurobiology of Aging
Volume 28, Issue 3 , Pages 343-350, March 2007

Midlife respiratory function and Incidence of Alzheimer's disease: A 29-year longitudinal study in women

Xinxin Guo
- Neuropsychiatric Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, SE 413 45 Göteborg, Sweden
- Corresponding author at: Department of Psychiatry, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, SE-413 45 Göteborg, Sweden. Tel.: +46 31 3421283; fax: +46 31 828163.
Margda Waern
- Neuropsychiatric Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, SE 413 45 Göteborg, Sweden
Karin Sjögren
- Neuropsychiatric Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, SE 413 45 Göteborg, Sweden
Lauren Lissner
- Department of Primary Health Care, Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, SE 413 45 Göteborg, Sweden
Calle Bengtsson
- Department of Primary Health Care, Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, SE 413 45 Göteborg, Sweden
Cecilia Björkelund
- Department of Primary Health Care, Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, SE 413 45 Göteborg, Sweden
Svante Östling
- Neuropsychiatric Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, SE 413 45 Göteborg, Sweden
Deborah Gustafson
- Neuropsychiatric Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, SE 413 45 Göteborg, Sweden
Ingmar Skoog
- Neuropsychiatric Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, SE 413 45 Göteborg, Sweden

Received 4 July 2005; received in revised form 17 January 2006; accepted 27 January 2006.

Abstract

Normal cognitive function depends on sufficient supply and efficient utilization of oxygen in the brain. Prospective studies on respiratory function and dementia are lacking. This study investigated the relationship between midlife respiratory function and incidence of dementia in a population-based sample of 1291 women followed from 1974 to 2003. Respiratory function was measured by peak expiratory flow in 1974, and forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1980. Dementia diagnoses were based on information from neuropsychiatric examinations, informant interviews, hospital records and registry data.

Better respiratory function in midlife was associated with a lower late-life risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Per 1 standard deviation increase in peak expiratory flow, forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume, hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for dementia were 0.77 (0.65–0.91), 0.72 (0.57–0.92) and 0.75 (0.59–0.95), respectively, and for AD 0.76 (0.62–0.94), 0.71 (0.54–0.95) and 0.74 (0.56–0.98), respectively, after adjustment for potential confounders. These data reinforce the advantages of maintaining good respiratory function in midlife, even though causation cannot be established.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease, Respiratory function, Longitudinal study, Women