Research shows connection between heart attack and cognitive decline

Primarily due to an aging population, the number of Americans suffering from dementia is on the rise. We also know that experiencing a heart attack can have lasting effects on brain health. New research by Mohamed Ridha, MD, assistant professor of Neurology in The Ohio State University College of Medicine, quantifies the connection between the two. Findings from the study “Prior Myocardial Infarction and Cognitive Decline: The REGARDS Cohort,” recently published in Stroke, a journal published by the American Heart Association, found that heart attack survivors have a 5% annual increase in the odds of developing cognitive impairment.

The study’s findings drive home the necessity of taking steps to prevent another heart attack while also using interventions to keep the brain healthy. The study included more than 20,000 adult men and women who underwent a medical interview and electrocardiogram at the start of the study to determine if they had a heart attack at any point in their past. The study details include:

• Cognitive screening data submitted once a year for 10 years by participants. This analysis adjusted for all factors that contribute to cognitive decline to identify the true impact of a prior heart attack.
• Findings show that people with an undiagnosed (silent) heart attack were also found to have an accelerated rate of cognitive decline, compared to participants who had not had a heart attack.
• Data which shows that among women, a silent heart attack was more common than a medical diagnosis of a heart attack or a self-reported heart attack. 
• A correlation between factors that protect heart health, such as healthy diet, levels of blood lipids, blood glucose and blood pressure, can also help safeguard the brain.
• Details on the vascular contributions to cognitive impairment, including stroke, show that the need to identify individuals at risk for cognitive decline is paramount for future treatment development and that the use of electrocardiogram may provide a pragmatic, low-cost strategy to identify individuals at elevated risk.
• Recommendations that those who care for heart attack survivors should also provide them with counseling on ways to avoid cognitive decline and dementia.