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Estimated pulse wave velocity associated with cognitive phenotypes in a rural older population in China: A cohort study
Jiahui Li, Yifei Ren, Lidan Wang, Xinrui Zou, Xueran Ding, Tingting Hou, Qinghua Zhang, Shi Tang et al.. Alzheimer s & Dementia, 2025-01-17
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Per 1-m/s increase in ePWV was associated with an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) of 1.51(1.30-1.75) for dementia and 1.58(1.33-1.89) for Alzheimer's disease (AD), and with an MMSE score decline (adjusted β-coefficient = -0.36; 95% CI = -0.52 to -0.21). A nonlinear association was observed between baseline ePWV and follow-up cognitive scores. A higher ePWV is associated with an increased risk of dementia, AD, accelerated cognitive decline, and poorer cognitive performance in older adults. HIGHLIGHTS: An increased estimated pulse wave velocity (ePWV) was associated with incident dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and accelerated cognitive decline in a rural Chinese older population. A higher ePWV at baseline was associated with lower scores of global cognition and multiple cognitive domains at the 4-year follow-up. An increased ePWV may be a risk factor for dementia and accelerated cognitive deterioration in aging.
Key findings
- Per 1-m/s increase in ePWV was associated with an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) of 1.51(1.30-1.75) for dementia and 1.58(1.33-1.89) for Alzheimer's disease (AD), and with an MMSE score decline (adjusted β-coefficient = -0.36; 95% CI = -0.52 to -0.21).
- A nonlinear association was observed between baseline ePWV and follow-up cognitive scores.
- A higher ePWV is associated with an increased risk of dementia, AD, accelerated cognitive decline, and poorer cognitive performance in older adults.
- HIGHLIGHTS: An increased estimated pulse wave velocity (ePWV) was associated with incident dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and accelerated cognitive decline in a rural Chinese older population.
- A higher ePWV at baseline was associated with lower scores of global cognition and multiple cognitive domains at the 4-year follow-up.
Why it matters
In this longitudinal cohort, higher estimated pulse wave velocity was linked to increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease and to faster cognitive decline. This suggests that a measure of arterial stiffness may help identify older adults at higher risk, though the study shows association, not cause.
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Study details
- Study designlongitudinal study
- Participants1,857
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 60/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Alzheimer s & Dementia) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Alzheimer s & Dementia: journal h-index 228 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A longitudinal study following the same people over time |
| 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 | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 1,857 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 | 3 / 7 | Cited 15 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 5.0 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 9.7× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 15 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Chengxuan Qiu: h-index 66 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Karolinska Institutet: institution h-index 1,477 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 5 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 39823175) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 60 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Li, J., Ren, Y., Wang, L., Zou, X., Ding, X., Hou, T., et al. (2025). Estimated pulse wave velocity associated with cognitive phenotypes in a rural older population in China: A cohort study. Alzheimer s & Dementia. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.14491
Vancouver
Li J, Ren Y, Wang L, Zou X, Ding X, Hou T, et al. Estimated pulse wave velocity associated with cognitive phenotypes in a rural older population in China: A cohort study. Alzheimer s & Dementia. 2025. doi:10.1002/alz.14491. PMID: 39823175.
BibTeX
@article{li2025-39823175,
author = {Li, Jiahui and Ren, Yifei and Wang, Lidan and Zou, Xinrui and Ding, Xueran and Hou, Tingting and Zhang, Qinghua and Tang, Shi and others},
title = {{Estimated pulse wave velocity associated with cognitive phenotypes in a rural older population in China: A cohort study}},
journal = {Alzheimer s \& Dementia},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1002/alz.14491},
pmid = {39823175},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.14491}
}
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