Background and purpose: The apolipoprotein E4 allele (APOE4) associates with increased dementia risk, and hypertension may associate with mild cognitive deficits. We examined whether nondemented stroke patients with (1) a prestroke history of hypertension and (2) APOE4 were more cognitively impaired at 3 months after stroke.
Methods: A total of 257 participants were genotyped and outcomes from neuropsychological evaluations analyzed using regression.
Results: Total Cambridge Assessment for Mental Disorders in the Elderly (CAMCOG) and speed of working memory significantly associated with hypertension. No outcomes significantly associated with APOE4.
Conclusions: Subjects with prestroke hypertension had more impaired global cognition and slower access to information held in working memory.