Nearly half of all heart failure patients experience cognitive impairment, and those with coronary heart disease face a 27 percent higher risk of developing dementia, according to a recent scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA) that emphasizes the link between cardiovascular and brain health.

The findings suggest that early intervention in heart health could be key to preventing cognitive decline later in life.

Cardiovascular Disease Linked to Cognitive Impairment

The statement, published in the AHA’s journal Stroke in October, examines links between cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and coronary heart disease and increased risk of cognitive impairment and dementia.

“Stroke and cognitive decline, both major determinants of brain health, are chronic and disabling conditions that have a dramatic impact at the individual and societal level,” Dr. Fernando D. Testai, a neurologist and the statement writing group chair, said in a press statement.

Testai also emphasized the urgency of managing heart health early in life, noting that managing heart health from an early age is important to prevent cardiovascular disease and cardiac events, protect brain health, and reduce the risk of cognitive decline in later life. While dementia is often seen as an incurable disease, evidence suggests that a healthy lifestyle and early intervention with vascular risk factors can help preserve brain function, he said.

High Prevalence of Cognitive Impairment in Heart Disease Patients

The AHA statement cited previous studies that found a significant prevalence of cognitive impairment among patients living with specific heart conditions. The following findings were presented:

• Nearly 50 percent of people with heart failure experience cognitive impairment affecting essential tasks like language and memory.
• A meta-analysis found that atrial fibrillation (AFib), or irregular heartbeat, increases the risk of cognitive issues by 39 percent.
• Adults with coronary heart disease are 27 percent more likely to develop dementia.

Similarly, AFib, which affects at least 3 million to 6 million people in the United States, is projected to affect nearly 16 million adults by 2050. AFib is well-known for its connection to stroke, but it also poses risks for cognitive decline through risk factors it shares with heart failure, like high blood pressure and diabetes.

Additionally, up to 50 percent of heart attack survivors could experience some loss of brain function, with factors that include high blood pressure and reduced blood flow contributing to impaired cognition.

Link Is ‘Incredibly Strong’: Expert

When considering the link between cardiac health and the brain, “I can start off by saying high blood pressure, right, predisposes you to strokes,” Dr. Hal Skopicki, chief of cardiology and co-director of the Stony Brook Heart Institute, told The Epoch Times.

Even without the occurrence of a major stroke, high blood pressure can still cause tiny blood vessels to burst open and release blood into that area, causing brain cells to die, he added. “You can imagine the total number over a lifespan of that kind of cognitive decline associated with high blood pressure,” he noted.

Skopicki pointed out that the link between cardiovascular disease and cognitive impairment is “incredibly strong.”

“There’s a number of reasons for that link,” he said. “It starts off with the fact that the risk factors are shared.” These include cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, a sedentary lifestyle, and poor sleep.

Skopicki disputed the notion that cognitive decline is an unavoidable part of aging, calling that belief a “great fallacy.” “You know that people believe things like dementia can’t be prevented, that heart attacks can’t be prevented,” he said. “It would be like saying that you have no control over what happens to your organs and their eventual deterioration.”

Skopicki considers statements like the one issued by the AHA to be “brilliant” because it’s a way to speak with the public in a way that makes health care providers’ jobs and people’s lives better. “It’s great when you can intervene before something happens rather than deal with the after-effects,” he said.