A retrospective exploratory analysis on cardiovascular risk and cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis

Background. Cardiovascular comorbidities have been associated with cognitive decline in the general population. Objectives. To evaluate the associations between cardiovascular risk and neuropsychological performances in MS. Methods. This is a retrospective study, including 69 MS patients. For all patients, we calculated the Framingham risk score, which provides the 10-year probability of developing macrovascular disease, using age, sex, diabetes, smoking, systolic blood pressure, and cholesterol levels as input variables. Cognitive function was examined with the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS), including the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), the California Verbal Learning Test-II (CVLT-II), and the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised (BVMT-R). Results. Each point increase of the Framingham risk score corresponded to 0.21 lower CVLT-II score. Looking at Framingham risk score components, male sex and higher total cholesterol levels corresponded to lower CVLT scores (Coeff = −8.54; 95%CI = −15.51, −1.57; and Coeff = −0.11; 95%CI = −0.20, −0.02, respectively). No associations were found between cardiovascular risk and SDMT or BVMT-R. Conclusions. In our exploratory analyses, cardiovascular risk was associated with verbal learning dysfunction in MS. Lifestyle and pharmacological interventions on cardiovascular risk factors should be considered carefully in the management of MS, given the possible effects on cognitive function.