Background Although web-based interventions have been promoted for cardiovascular risk management over the past decade, there is limited evidence for effectiveness of these interventions in people older than 65 years. The healthy ageing through internet counselling in the elderly (HATICE) trial aimed to determine whether a coach-supported internet intervention for self-management can reduce cardiovascular risk in community-dwelling older people.Methods This prospective open-label, blinded endpoint clinical trial among people age 65 years or over at increased risk of cardiovascular disease randomly assigned participants in the Netherlands, Finland, and France to an interactive internet intervention stimulating coach-supported self-management or a control platform. Primary outcome was the difference from baseline to 18 months on a standardised composite score (Z score) of systolic blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, and body-mass index (BMI). Secondary outcomes included individual risk factors and cardiovascular endpoints. This trial is registered with the ISRCTN registry, 48151589, and is closed to accrual.Findings Among 2724 participants, complete primary outcome data were available for 2398 (88%). After 18 months, the primary outcome improved in the intervention group versus the control group (0·09 vs 0·04, respectively; mean difference -0·05, 95% CI -0·08 to -0·01; p=0·008). For individual components of the primary outcome, mean differences (intervention vs control) were systolic blood pressure -1·79 mm Hg versus -0·67 mm Hg (-1·12, -2·51 to 0·27); BMI -0·23 kg/m² versus -0·08 kg/m² (-0·15, -0·28 to -0·01); and LDL -0·12 mmol/L versus -0·07 mmol/L (-0·05, -0·11 to 0·01). Cardiovascular disease occurred in 30 (2·2%) of 1382 patients in the intervention versus 32 (2·4%) of 1333 patients in the control group (hazard ratio 0·86, 95% CI 0·52 to 1·43).Interpretation Coach-supported self-management of cardiovascular risk factors using an interactive internet intervention is feasible in an older population, and leads to a modest improvement of cardiovascular risk profile. When implemented on a large scale this could potentially reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.Funding European Commission Seventh Framework Programme.

Apathy was associated with an approximately 2-fold increased risk of dementia in memory clinic patients. Moderate publication bias may have inflated some of these estimates. Apathy deserves more attention as a relevant, cheap, noninvasive, and easily measureable marker of increased risk of incident dementia with high clinical relevance, particularly because these vulnerable patients may forgo health care.

ObjectiveTo assess whether apathy and depressive symptoms are independently associated with incident dementia during 6-year follow-up in a prospective observational population-based cohort study.MethodsParticipants were community-dwelling older people in the Prevention of Dementia by Intensive Vascular Care trial, aged 70–78 years, without dementia at baseline. Apathy and depressive symptoms were measured using the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15). Dementia during follow-up was established by clinical diagnosis confirmed by an independent outcome adjudication committee. Hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated using Cox regression analyses. Given its potentially strong relation with incipient dementia, the GDS item referring to memory complaints was assessed separately.ResultsDementia occurred in 232/3,427 (6.8%) participants. Apathy symptoms were associated with dementia (HR 1.28, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12–1.45; p < 0.001), also after adjustment for age, sex, Mini-Mental State Examination score, disability, and history of stroke or cardiovascular disease (HR 1.21, 95% CI 1.06–1.40; p = 0.007), and in participants without depressive symptoms (HR 1.26, 95% CI 1.06–1.49; p = 0.01). Depressive symptoms were associated with dementia (HR 1.12, 95% CI 1.05–1.19), also without apathy symptoms (HR 1.16, 95% CI 1.03–1.31; p = 0.015), but not after full adjustment or after removing the GDS item on memory complaints.ConclusionsApathy and depressive symptoms are independently associated with incident dementia in community-dwelling older people. Subjective memory complaints may play an important role in the association between depressive symptoms and dementia. Our findings suggest apathy symptoms may be prodromal to dementia and might be used in general practice to identify individuals without cognitive impairment at increased risk of dementia.