Neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with aortic aneurysms.

BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence suggests that vascular disease confers vulnerability to a late-onset of depressive illness and the impairment of specific cognitive functions, most notably in the domains of memory storage and retrieval. Lower limb athero-thrombosis and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) h...

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Main Authors: Bernhard T Baune, Steven J Unwin, Frances Quirk, Jonathan Golledge
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2011-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3142179?pdf=render
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author Bernhard T Baune
Steven J Unwin
Frances Quirk
Jonathan Golledge
author_facet Bernhard T Baune
Steven J Unwin
Frances Quirk
Jonathan Golledge
author_sort Bernhard T Baune
collection DOAJ
description BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence suggests that vascular disease confers vulnerability to a late-onset of depressive illness and the impairment of specific cognitive functions, most notably in the domains of memory storage and retrieval. Lower limb athero-thrombosis and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) have both been previously associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms possibly due to associated intracerebral vascular disease or systemic inflammation, hence suggesting that these illnesses may be regarded as models to investigate the vascular genesis of neuropsychiatric symptoms. The aim of this study was to compare neuropsychiatric symptoms such as depression, anxiety and a variety of cognitive domains in patients who had symptoms of peripheral athero-thrombosis (intermittent claudication) and those who had an asymptomatic abdominal aortic aneurysm AAA. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In a cross-sectional study, 26 participants with either intermittent claudication or AAA were assessed using a detailed neuropsychiatric assessment battery for various cognitive domains and depression and anxiety symptoms (Hamilton Depression and Anxiety Scales). Student t test and linear regression analyses were applied to compare neuropsychiatric symptoms between patient groups. AAA participants showed greater levels of cognitive impairment in the domains of immediate and delayed memory as compared to patients who had intermittent claudication. Cognitive dysfunction was best predicted by increasing aortic diameter. CRP was positively related to AAA diameter, but not to cognitive function. AAA and aortic diameter in particular were associated with cognitive dysfunction in this study. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: AAA patients are at a higher risk for cognitive impairment than intermittent claudication patients. Validation of this finding is required in a larger study, but if confirmed could suggest that systemic factors peculiar to AAA may impact on cognitive function.
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spelling doaj.art-a8c3997863fb4501a8f5bd3db813dcb82022-12-21T21:57:50ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032011-01-0167e2263210.1371/journal.pone.0022632Neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with aortic aneurysms.Bernhard T BauneSteven J UnwinFrances QuirkJonathan GolledgeBACKGROUND: Emerging evidence suggests that vascular disease confers vulnerability to a late-onset of depressive illness and the impairment of specific cognitive functions, most notably in the domains of memory storage and retrieval. Lower limb athero-thrombosis and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) have both been previously associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms possibly due to associated intracerebral vascular disease or systemic inflammation, hence suggesting that these illnesses may be regarded as models to investigate the vascular genesis of neuropsychiatric symptoms. The aim of this study was to compare neuropsychiatric symptoms such as depression, anxiety and a variety of cognitive domains in patients who had symptoms of peripheral athero-thrombosis (intermittent claudication) and those who had an asymptomatic abdominal aortic aneurysm AAA. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In a cross-sectional study, 26 participants with either intermittent claudication or AAA were assessed using a detailed neuropsychiatric assessment battery for various cognitive domains and depression and anxiety symptoms (Hamilton Depression and Anxiety Scales). Student t test and linear regression analyses were applied to compare neuropsychiatric symptoms between patient groups. AAA participants showed greater levels of cognitive impairment in the domains of immediate and delayed memory as compared to patients who had intermittent claudication. Cognitive dysfunction was best predicted by increasing aortic diameter. CRP was positively related to AAA diameter, but not to cognitive function. AAA and aortic diameter in particular were associated with cognitive dysfunction in this study. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: AAA patients are at a higher risk for cognitive impairment than intermittent claudication patients. Validation of this finding is required in a larger study, but if confirmed could suggest that systemic factors peculiar to AAA may impact on cognitive function.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3142179?pdf=render
spellingShingle Bernhard T Baune
Steven J Unwin
Frances Quirk
Jonathan Golledge
Neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with aortic aneurysms.
PLoS ONE
title Neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with aortic aneurysms.
title_full Neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with aortic aneurysms.
title_fullStr Neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with aortic aneurysms.
title_full_unstemmed Neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with aortic aneurysms.
title_short Neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with aortic aneurysms.
title_sort neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with aortic aneurysms
url http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3142179?pdf=render
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AT stevenjunwin neuropsychiatricsymptomsinpatientswithaorticaneurysms
AT francesquirk neuropsychiatricsymptomsinpatientswithaorticaneurysms
AT jonathangolledge neuropsychiatricsymptomsinpatientswithaorticaneurysms