Cognitive impairment in patients with arterial hypertension and transitory ischemic attack

The aim of the study was to investigate cognitive disorders in patients with arterial hypertension (AH) and transitory ischemic attack (TIA) as well as their relation to changes in the brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and homocysteine. Eighty male and female patients with AH and TIA aged 40 to 70 years were examined. The concentration of homocysteine in the blood serum was determined, the brain MRI was performed. Cognitive function was evaluated by using Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score. Mild cognitive impairment was revealed in 38.7% of patients; average MMSE score was 27.91 (95% CI 27.52-28.30). Correlation between the levels of homocysteine and MMSE scores was revealed: r=-0.5466 (p=0.0000). Cognitive impairment was found more frequently in patients with structural changes in the brain compared with the patients without changes (52.6% versus 26.2%). The average MMSE scores were 27.42 (95% CI 26.78-28.06) in patients with MRI changes and 28.36 (95% CI 27.90-28.82) in patients without changes, r = 0.033. Cognitive impairment was found in 73.7% of patients with MRI signs of leukoaraiosis and in 31.6% of patients without leukoaraiosis. The average MMSE scores were 26.74 (95% CI 25.79-27.68) in patients with leukoaraiosis and 28.10 (95% CI 27.29-28.92) in patients without leukoaraiosis, r=0.034.