Study: Stroke Sufferers More Likely to Develop Alzheimer's

People who have had a stroke are at an increased risk of developing Alzheimer disease, especially if they also have cardiovascular disease, according to an article in the December issue of the Archives of Neurology.

According to the study, Alzheimer disease and stroke are common in the elderly population, but the relationship between these two disorders remains unclear.

Dr. Richard Mayeux, of Columbia University in New York, and his colleagues investigated the association between stroke and Alzheimer's disease in 1,766 Medicare patients over the age of 65 who did not shows signs of dementia or Alzheimer's disease. The study extended from 1992 through 1999.

The researchers found that the annual incidence for Alzheimer's disease was 5.2 percent among patients who had suffered a stroke and 4 percent for patients who had not suffered a stroke. Patients who had suffered stroke were roughly 60 percent more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than patients who had never had a stroke.

The researchers said the association between stroke and Alzheimer's disease might be due to underlying systemic vascular disease or to the additive effects of stroke and Alzheimer's disease pathologic features, leading to an earlier age at onset of the disease.

Other sources: Archives of Neurology. 2003;60:1707-1712