Men Are at Higher Risk of Screening Positive for Vascular Cognitive Impairment Compared to Women after Stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack

Julia Zinman; Arunima Kapoor; Kevin Si; Sajeevan Sujanthan; Alisia Southwell; Megan L Cayley; Michelle N Sicard; Karen Lien; Brian J Murray; Krista Lanctôt; Nathan Herrmann; Dar Dowlatshahi; Demetrios J Sahlas; Gustavo Saposnik; Jennifer L Mandzia; Leanne K Casaubon; Ayman Hassan; Yael Perez; Richard H Swartz

doi:10.3233/JAD-230021

Men Are at Higher Risk of Screening Positive for Vascular Cognitive Impairment Compared to Women after Stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack

J Alzheimers Dis. 2023;94(1):89-94. doi: 10.3233/JAD-230021.

Authors

Julia Zinman¹, Arunima Kapoor¹, Kevin Si^{1

2}, Sajeevan Sujanthan^{1

2}, Alisia Southwell¹, Megan L Cayley¹, Michelle N Sicard¹, Karen Lien¹, Brian J Murray¹, Krista Lanctôt^{2

3}, Nathan Herrmann^{2

3}, Dar Dowlatshahi⁴, Demetrios J Sahlas⁵, Gustavo Saposnik⁶, Jennifer L Mandzia⁷, Leanne K Casaubon⁸, Ayman Hassan⁹, Yael Perez¹⁰, Richard H Swartz^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine (Neurology), Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada.
² University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
³ Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁴ Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa and Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
⁵ Department of Medicine (Neurology), McMaster University, Hamilton General Hospital, Hamilton Health Sciences, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
⁶ Stroke Outcomes and Decision Neuroscience Unit, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁷ London Health Sciences Centre, Division of Neurology, London, ON, Canada.
⁸ University Health Network/Toronto Western Hospital, Division of Neurology, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁹ Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, Division of Neurology, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada.
¹⁰ Trillium Health Partners, Department of Medicine (Neurology), Mississauga, ON, Canada.

PMID: 37212109
DOI: 10.3233/JAD-230021

Abstract

While women have greater incidence of dementia, men have higher prevalence of vascular risk factors. This study examined sex differences in risk of screening positive for cognitive impairment after stroke. Ischemic stroke/TIA patients (N = 5969) participated in this prospective, multi-centered study, which screened for cognitive impairment using a validated brief screen. Men showed a higher risk of screening positive for cognitive impairment after adjusting for age, education, stroke severity, and vascular risk factors, suggesting that other factors may be contributing to increased risk among men (OR = 1.34, CI 95% [1.16, 1.55], p < 0.001). The effect of sex on cognitive impairment after stroke warrants further attention.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; cognitive impairment; sex difference; stroke; transient ischemic attack.

Publication types

Letter
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Cognitive Dysfunction* / diagnosis
Cognitive Dysfunction* / epidemiology
Cognitive Dysfunction* / etiology
Female
Humans
Ischemic Attack, Transient* / complications
Ischemic Attack, Transient* / diagnosis
Ischemic Attack, Transient* / epidemiology
Male
Prospective Studies
Risk Factors
Stroke* / complications
Stroke* / epidemiology
Stroke* / psychology