Background
Dementia is a leading cause of disability globally, which is projected to affect approximately 75 million people by 2030.(1,2) Cardiovascular disease is a key risk factor of dementia. Individual therapies including blood pressure lowering therapy have demonstrated a modest dementia risk reduction. Polypill therapy may have distinct advantages compared to a single therapy alone. This may relate to incremental effects of managing risk factors such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It may also relate to improved adherence related to reduction in pill burden.
Objective
The objective of my summer project will be to firstly gain exposure to research including systematic review and meta-analysis methodology, secondly to address the research gaps that exist in dementia prevention strategies by completing, in particular whether polypill therapy is associated with reduced risk of dementia, by completing a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Methods
I will lead this systematic review under the supervision of Prof. O’Donnell and senior members of the neurovascular research team (which Prof O’Donnell leads). I will conduct a systematic search. Search results will be imported into a reference manager (Zotero). Following removal of duplicates, titles and abstracts will be screened by two reviewers using the Rayann web application. Titles and abstracts will screened by two reviewers (myself and my colleague) using the Rayann web application. Full texts of remaining articles will be independently assessed by two reviewers (myself and my colleague), with eligibility based on predetermined criteria. Data will be extracted independently by two authors using a standardized pre-determined data collection form.
A descriptive analysis of included randomised controlled trials will be reported. I will calculate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for dichotomous outcomes. For continuous outcomes, such as change in cognitive score will be analysed. Heterogeneity between studies will be estimated using the I² statistics.