Scientific Reports (May 2024)

Association between retinopathy and risk of dementia in a general Japanese population: the Hisayama Study

  • Shun Nakamura,
  • Emi Ueda,
  • Tomoyuki Ohara,
  • Jun Hata,
  • Takanori Honda,
  • Kohta Fujiwara,
  • Yoshihiko Furuta,
  • Mao Shibata,
  • Sawako Hashimoto,
  • Taro Nakazawa,
  • Tomohiro Nakao,
  • Takanari Kitazono,
  • Koh-Hei Sonoda,
  • Toshiharu Ninomiya

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-62688-7
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14, no. 1
pp. 1 – 8

Abstract

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Abstract We investigated the association of retinopathy with the risk of dementia in a general older Japanese population. A total of 1709 population-based residents aged 60 years or older without dementia were followed prospectively for 10 years (2007–2017). They underwent color fundus photography in 2007. Retinopathy was graded according to the Modified Airlie House Classification. Main outcome was the Incidence of dementia. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the risk of dementia by the presence of retinopathy. During the follow-up period, 374 participants developed all-cause dementia. The cumulative incidence of dementia was significantly higher in those with retinopathy than those without (p < 0.05). Individuals with retinopathy had significantly higher risk of developing dementia than those without after adjustment for potential confounding factors (HR 1.64, 95% CI 1.19–2.25). Regarding the components of retinopathy, the presence of microaneurysms was significantly associated with a higher multivariable-adjusted HR for incident dementia (HR 1.94, 95% CI 1.37–2.74). Our findings suggest that, in addition to systemic risk factors, retinal microvascular signs from fundus photography provide valuable information for estimating the risk of developing dementia.