Table 2.
Ten-year outcomes
| Events, n (% of population) | Non-standardized absolute risk, % (95% CI) | Standardizeda absolute risk, % (95% CI) | Standardizeda absolute risk difference, % (95% CI) | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alzheimer's disease | |||||
| Low BBB permeability | 231 (1.4%) | 1.54 (1.34 to 1.74) | 1.96 (1.65 to 2.30) | Reference | |
| Moderate BBB permeability | 494 (1.1%) | 1.44 (1.32 to 1.57) | 1.63 (1.43 to 1.85) | −0.33 (−0.63 to −0.03) | 0.074 |
| High BBB permeability | 112 (1.2%) | 1.54 (1.25 to 1.83) | 1.49 (1.20 to 1.82) | −0.47 (−0.85 to −0.10) | <0.036 |
| Death (as competing risk with Alzheimer's disease) | |||||
| Low BBB permeability | 3304 (20.0%) | 21.9 (21.2 to 22.5) | 22.9 (22.2 to 23.5) | Reference | |
| Moderate BBB permeability | 8123 (18.9%) | 23.1 (22.6 to 23.5) | 23.8 (23.3 to 24.3) | 0.91 (0.24 to 1.58) | <0.022 |
| High BBB permeability | 2078 (21.9%) | 27.2 (26.2 to 28.3) | 24.4 (23.6 to 25.2) | 1.55 (0.63 to 2.47) | <0.003 |
| Any dementia | |||||
| Low BBB permeability | 530 (3.2%) | 3.52 (3.22 to 3.81) | 3.71 (3.38 to 4.06) | Reference | |
| Moderate BBB permeability | 1226 (2.8%) | 3.53 (3.34 to 3.73) | 3.54 (3.31 to 3.78) | −0.17 (−0.54 to 0.20) | 0.641 |
| High BBB permeability | 319 (3.4%) | 4.28 (3.81 to 4.74) | 3.66 (3.27 to 4.08) | −0.05 (−0.55 to 0.44) | 0.973 |
Number of Alzheimer's disease, death and any dementia (including Alzheimer's, unspecified dementia, and other causes) outcomes in the primary cohort, and risk at 10 years. Death was treated as a competing risk (see the ‘Materials and methods’ section). Non-standardized risk was uncorrected, while standardized absolute risk was modelled using the covariates listed below. P-values refer to standardized risk differences. There were 16 530 people taking low, 43 056 taking moderate and 9495 taking high BBB-permeable βBs. People taking βBs with high BBB permeability had decreased risk of Alzheimer's disease compared to low permeability βB users.
Models were corrected for sex, age (B-splines), relative time of inclusion (B-splines), socioeconomic group, municipality, living alone, loop diuretic use, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidaemia, depression, stroke, head trauma, atherosclerosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and second antihypertensive drug class.