Table 5.
Associations Between Use of Lipid-Lowering Medications and Cognitive Function Test Scores at Examination 5 in a Multivariable Linear Regression Model With Endogenous Treatment Effects, Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, 2010–2012a
| Lipid-Lowering Medicationb | No. of Cases | Cognitive Function Test | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CASI | DSC Test | Forward DS Test | Backward DS Test | ||||||
| RC (SE) | P Value | RC (SE) | P Value | RC (SE) | P Value | RC (SE) | P Value | ||
| Total | 1,523 | 1.66 (0.51) | 0.001 | 6.37 (4.76) | 0.18 | −0.07 (1.42) | 0.96 | 2.16 (0.33) | <0.001 |
| Medication typec | |||||||||
| Statins | 1,358 | 1.46 (0.53) | 0.005 | 7.51 (4.85) | 0.12 | −0.54 (1.55) | 0.73 | 2.16 (0.33) | <0.001 |
| Other (nonstatin) medications | 69 | 1.25 (1.33) | 0.35 | 9.60 (9.85) | 0.33 | −2.60 (0.94) | 0.006 | 3.46 (0.39) | <0.001 |
Abbreviations: APOE, apolipoprotein E gene; CASI, Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument; DS, Digit Span; DSC, Digit Symbol Coding; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; RC, regression coefficient; SE, standard error.
a In this analysis, the covariates in the outcome model included age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, smoking status, pack-years of smoking, current alcohol drinking, total gross family income, marital status, employment status, language spoken at home, health insurance, foreign-born status, physical activity, waist:hip ratio, height, diabetes, hypertension, log-transformed C-reactive protein level, fibrinogen level, log-transformed interleukin-6 level, APOE genotype, presence of elevated depressive symptoms, HDL-C concentration, LDL-C concentration, and log-transformed triglyceride concentration. The covariates in the treatment model included age, sex, race/ethnicity, waist:hip ratio, height, education, smoking status, pack-years of smoking, current alcohol drinking, total gross family income, marital status, employment status, health insurance, diabetes, hypertension, physical activity, HDL-C concentration, LDL-C concentration, and log-transformed triglyceride concentration. For participants taking lipid-lowering medication, the last untreated lipid concentrations recorded at examination 4 or earlier were used, if available, in the treatment model.
b Data were compared with those of participants who were not taking any lipid-lowering medication at examination 5 (n = 2,403).
c Ninety-six participants were excluded from the analysis because they took both statins and nonstatin medications.