Scientists from the University of Massachusetts at Worcester have found that people with abnormal heart rhythms (atrial fibrillation) have a reduced risk of developing dementia after a catheter ablation therapy procedure. The study will be presented at the 75th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.
The study included 887 people with an average age of 75 at the start of the study. Catheter ablation was performed in 193 patients. In catheter ablation, small areas of heart tissue that can cause arrhythmias are destroyed using radiofrequency radiation.
Participants took a memory and thinking test at the start of the study, and then tested it twice more, with a difference of one year. This test included questions about short-term memory, attention, and speech. The scores of the tests ranged from 0 to 30. People who had catheter ablation scored an average of 25. Patients treated with medication alone scored an average of 23.
After adjusting for other factors (kidney disease, sleep apnea), those undergoing catheter ablation were 36% less likely to develop cognitive impairment. Previous studies have shown that people with arrhythmias may experience long-term thinking and memory problems due to impaired blood circulation to the brain. New study proves that arrhythmia treatment can reduce risk of cognitive impairment.