Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Health

Advisor

Naoyo Mori

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a growing epidemic and is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. Individuals with AD often have comorbidities due to the aging process. There is a lack of research on comorbidities as associated risk factors for AD. The leading hypothesis indicates that cardiovascular health issues, environmental exposure, social isolation, and amyloid-beta plaques influence cognitive health and are associated with AD. This study, guided by Finch and Kulminski’s AD exposome, is a caveat to explore a patient’s physical history of cardiovascular health, modifiable behavior, social isolation, and an AD diagnosis. Participants provided health information collected in the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center Uniform Data Set. A random selection of (n = 1,229) participants was selected for each manuscript. Bivariate linear regressions identified the association between independent variables and an AD diagnosis. The models found significance between modifiable behavior, social isolation, and the presence of amyloid-beta plaques and an AD diagnosis. There were limited significant correlations between individual variables other than the presence of amyloid-beta plaques, alcohol use, and participant level of independence. Future research needs to identify the association between additional variables to improve understanding of the heart-brain/social connection and the presence of amyloid-beta plaques and AD diagnosis. Understanding these connections could improve health care providers' ability to detect AD earlier and improve therapies and patients’ quality of life, contributing to positive social change.

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