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Antihypertensive drugs and incidence of dementia: the Rotterdam Study
in't Veld BA, Ruitenberg A, Hofman A, Stricker BH, Breteler MM.. Neurobiology of aging, 2001-05-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
There is increasing evidence that hypertension may contribute to the development of dementia. We investigated the relation of antihypertensive drug use and the risk of dementia in the cohort of the population based Rotterdam Study. The study cohort included 7046 elderly, free of dementia at baseline. Dementia was diagnosed in a stepwise procedure. Participants were first screened. Screen positives were further tested. Those suspected of dementia underwent a diagnostic work-up. Dementia and its subtypes were diagnosed according to prevailing criteria. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate relative risks. After a mean follow-up of 2.2 years, subjects taking antihypertensive medication at baseline (n = 2015) had a reduced incidence of dementia (adjusted relative risk, 0.76; 95% confidence interval 0.52-1.12). This risk reduction was most pronounced for vascular dementia, (adjusted relative risk, 0.30; 95% confidence interval 0.11-0.99). For Alzheimer's disease the relative risk was 0.87, not significant. Dementia may be prevented by antihypertensive treatment. In order to confirm any relation in Alzheimer's disease larger observational studies with longer follow-up are needed.
Key findings
- For Alzheimer's disease the relative risk was 0.87, not significant.
Why it matters
In this cohort, antihypertensive medication use was linked to a reduced incidence of dementia overall and especially vascular dementia, but the result for Alzheimer's disease was not significant. The authors say larger studies with longer follow-up are needed to confirm any relation in Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Participants2,015
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 52/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Neurobiology of aging) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Neurobiology of Aging: journal h-index 263 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2001 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 2,015 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 254 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 9.4 citations a year over 27 year(s) since 2001 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 6.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 19 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 8 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Monique M.B. Breteler: h-index 162 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Erasmus MC: institution h-index 1,321 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 11378246) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 52 / 100 | — |
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
in't Veld, B. A., Ruitenberg, A., Hofman, A., Stricker, B. H., & Breteler, M. M. (2001). Antihypertensive drugs and incidence of dementia: the Rotterdam Study. Neurobiology of aging. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0197-4580(00)00241-4
Vancouver
in't Veld BA, Ruitenberg A, Hofman A, Stricker BH, Breteler MM. Antihypertensive drugs and incidence of dementia: the Rotterdam Study. Neurobiology of aging. 2001. doi:10.1016/s0197-4580(00)00241-4. PMID: 11378246.
BibTeX
@article{intveld2001-11378246,
author = {in't Veld, B. A. and Ruitenberg, A. and Hofman, A. and Stricker, B. H. and Breteler, M. M.},
title = {{Antihypertensive drugs and incidence of dementia: the Rotterdam Study}},
journal = {Neurobiology of aging},
year = {2001},
doi = {10.1016/s0197-4580(00)00241-4},
pmid = {11378246},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/s0197-4580(00)00241-4}
}
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