INFLUENCE OF MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION, CORONARY-ARTERY BYPASS-SURGERY, AND STROKE ON COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT IN LATE-LIFE

Relations between cognitive test scores in later life and prior myocar dial infarction (MI), coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG), and stroke were examined for this study. Subjects were 3,734 Japanese-Ame rican men (80% of surviving Honolulu Heart Program cohort) aged 71 to 93 years at the time of cognitive testing. Impairment was defined as s coring below the 16th percentile on a validated cognitive assessment s cale. Prior MI, stroke, and CABG were established using hospital surve illance, history, and record review. After adjustment for age, years o f education, and years of childhood spent in Japans men with prior str oke were significantly more likely than others to have poor cognitive performance (odds ratio 4.4, 95% confidence limits 3.0 to 6.7). Histor y of >1 stroke was associated with an odds ratio of 50 (95% confidence limits 10.5 to 238.3). There was no significant association between c ognitive performance and greater than or equal to 1 prior MI or histor y of CABG. Time between events and cognitive function testing did not affect results. Analyses support a significant association between cli nical stroke and persistent cognitive impairment, but fail to implicat e CABG or MI. (C) 1998 by Excerpta Medica, Inc.