Undetected Peripheral Arterial Disease Among Older Adults With Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) was reported to increase the risk of dementia(s) even more than stroke. We assessed the prevalence of PAD in a group with definite diagnosis of dementia. Patients aged 65 years or older with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD), or AD-VaD were enrolled (n = 162, mean age: 78.87 [6.05] years). An age- and gender-matched control group was also included (n = 190). Peripheral arterial disease was diagnosed by the ankle–brachial index. Frequency of PAD among patients with and without dementia was 35.2% and 16.3%, respectively (P < .001), being similar among different types of dementia. After adjustment for covariates, dementia (odds ratio: 2.41, 95% confidence interval: 1.34-4.32; P = .003) was among the predictors of PAD diagnosis along with older age, female gender, and diabetes. The prevalence of PAD was more than double in patients with dementia, with no difference among AD, VaD, and AD-VaD types