Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have shown that structural changes in the left atrium increase the likelihood of dementia by 35%, even in patients without cardiac dysfunction. Article published Journal of the American Heart Association.
More than 15,000 participants in this analysis were included in the Long-Term Atherosclerosis Risk Trial (ARIC), which first began in 1987. They all lived in different US states and visited clinics every three years. This analysis compared data from 5078 subjects (mean age 75 years) collected during the fifth (2011-2013), sixth (2016-2017), and seventh (2018-2019) patient visits to clinics.
Participants’ cognitive abilities were assessed using neuropsychological tests and interviews with some participants’ spouses or children. To assess the function of the heart as a whole and as the left atrium, study participants underwent an EKG, ultrasound of the heart, and a blood test.
763 people developed dementia and 1,709 people developed atrial cardiopathy. Participants with atrial cardiopathy were 35% more likely to develop dementia. Even in the absence of atrial fibrillation or stroke, the risk remained high: 28% and 31%, respectively.
Atrial cardiomyopathy is a structural change in the left atrium that has been shown to be associated with an increased risk of stroke and atrial fibrillation. In turn, they are known to increase the likelihood of dementia. The scientists’ first study showed that even asymptomatic cardiomyopathy is associated with a higher risk of cognitive impairment, emphasizing the importance of regular screening for heart disease in older people.
The authors cautioned that some study participants may have overlooked asymptomatic atrial fibrillation or asymptomatic strokes, so their data needs to be cross-checked and do not show a causal relationship.
The study involved researchers from the University of Minnesota, the Mayo Clinic, the University of Mississippi, the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School, and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Source: Gazeta
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