Does the Framingham cardiovascular disease risk score also have predictive utility for dementia death? An individual participant meta-analysis of 11,887 men and women

Abstract

Objective: Individual cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors are associated with dementia. For the first time, we investigated whether the Framingham CVD risk score-which comprises these multiple risk factors-was also associated with future dementia risk.

Methods: Individual participant meta-analysis of two large, general population cohort studies (N = 11,887). For the purposes of comparison of the dementia results, we also examined the association between the Framingham CVD risk score and CVD-related death.

Results: Framingham CVD risk score was associated with dementia death (hazard ratio per 10% increased risk, 95% confidence interval: 4.00, 2.44-6.56). Adjusting for age eliminated this association (1.04, 0.53-2.01); similarly, age explained 88% of the ability of the Framingham CVD risk score to predict CVD death.

Conclusions: The Framingham CVD risk score was no more strongly associated with future dementia than age. It therefore offers no added value in predicting dementia.