• Anh N Q Pham, Cliff Lindeman, Don Voaklander, Adrian Wagg, and Neil Drummond.
• School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
• Fam Pract. 2022 May 28; 39 (3): 406412406-412.

BackgroundThe dementias are long-term, chronic conditions caused by progressive neurological degeneration. Current literature suggests that cardiovascular disease risk factors may contribute to the onset of dementia; however, evidence of these associations is inconsistent.ObjectivesThis study aimed to examine the impact of risk factors on dementia onset in older adults diagnosed and managed in Canadian primary care settings.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was employed utilizing electronic medical records data in the Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network (CPCSSN). Patients aged 65+ years with no dementia diagnosis at baseline who were followed from 2009 to 2017 with a run-in year to exclude existing undiagnosed dementia cases. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate risk.ResultsAge was associated with an increased incidence risk of dementia in both examined age groups: 65-79 years (13%) and 80+ years (5%). History of depression increased dementia risk by 38% and 34% in the age groups. There were significant associations with lower social deprivation area quintile, smoking history, osteoarthritis, and diabetes mellitus in patients aged 65-79 years but not in those aged 80+ years. Sex, hypertension, obesity, dyslipidemia, and the use of antihypertensive medications and statins were not associated with risk of incident dementia diagnosis.ConclusionsThe association between chronic health conditions and dementia onset is complicated. Primary care electronic medical record data might be useful for research in this topic, though follow-up time is still relatively short to observe a clear causal relationship. Future studies with more complete data may provide evidence for dementia preventive strategies within primary care practice.© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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