Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health
Researchers Find Almost Half with Heart Failure Also
Have Memory, Cognitive Problems
Cognitive impairment also closely related to the
severity of symptoms or left ventricular dysfunction
Feb. 5, 2009 Nearly half of patients with heart
failure (HF) have problems with memory and other aspects of cognitive
functioning, reports a new study published in the February issue of
Journal of Cardiac Failure.
Memory problems and other cognitive deficits may be
an important factor to consider in planning medical care for patients
with HF, according to the new study, led by Mary Jane Sauvι, D.N.Sc.,
R.N., of the University of California, Davis.
|
|
Related Stories |
|
|
|
Death from Depression Growing Concern: Now Linked to
More Deaths Among Older Diabetics
Patients with both diabetes and depression had
increased risk of about 36% to 38% of dying from any cause
Oct. 1, 2008
Heart Patients Should be Screened and Treated for
Depression, Says Heart Association
No evidence that treating depression improves
coronary heart disease outcomes, but plenty shows depression worsens
outcomes
Sept. 30, 2008
Depression Raises Risk of Death for Heart Attack
Victims for Years After Attack
Only about 25 to 30% of these patients receive
antidepressant drugs, treatment
By Jim Dryden
March 3, 2008
Depression is a Killer for Heart Attack Victims,
Study Finds
'There is a whole series of factors that link
depression and heart disease'
Dec. 8, 2007
High Blood Pressure, Irregular Heartbeat Appear to
Speed Progress of Alzheimers
Treating hypertension or atrial fibrillation may slow
memory loss
Oct. 30, 2007
Life Expectancy Cut 25 Years for Patients with
Mental Illnesses Due to Poor Care, Cardiovascular Disease
Medicare patients hospitalized for heart attacks had
19% increase in mortality for patients with any mental disorder, 34%
increase with schizophrenia.
Oct. 17, 2007
Older Women Twice as Likely to Die in Five Years
After Having Panic Attack
Panic attack also makes them four times as likely to
suffer heart attack
Oct. 1, 2007
Read the latest news on
Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health |
|
The researchers administered tests of cognitive
(intellectual) function to 50 patients with HF and 50 people without HF,
matched for age and estimated intelligence.
Most of the patients had mild to moderate HF.
Overall, patients with HF scored lower than controls on 14 of 19
cognitive tests. Forty-six percent of the HF patients were rated as
having mild to severe cognitive impairment, compared to a 16 percent
rate of mild impairment in controls. Memory problems, especially
short-term memory, were the most common type of cognitive deficit.
With adjustment for other factors, the risk of
cognitive impairment was more than four times higher in the HF group.
The rate, types, and severity of cognitive impairment in this group of
patients living with HF were similar to those seen in patients with
end-stage HF awaiting heart transplantation.
Changes in cognitive function have long been
recognized in patients with heart disease. Although past reports have
noticed an increased rate of cognitive impairment among people with HF,
this has been assumed to reflect the age-related risk of cognitive
decline.
These findings may have important implications for
the care of patients with HF, Dr. Sauvι and colleagues believe. For
example, "Care instructions and medication or dietary changes need to be
written and given verbally because of patient difficulties with
information requiring attention, learning, and memory functions."
"This is a very important article dealing with a
neglected area of research," commented Barry M. Massie, M.D.,
Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Cardiac Failure.
"The authors have performed a well-designed study
assessing heart failure patients for cognitive impairment, which was
significant in a substantial proportion of patients. Furthermore, it was
closely related to the severity of symptoms or left ventricular
dysfunction. Clinicians should be aware of this problem, as it has the
potential to interfere with optimal patient management."
Background Information
About the Journal of Cardiac Failure
The Journal of Cardiac Failure (http://www.onlinejcf.com/)
publishes original, peer-reviewed communications of scientific
excellence and review articles on clinical research, basic human
studies, animal studies, and bench research with potential clinical
applications to heart failurepathogenesis, etiology, epidemiology,
pathophysiological mechanisms, assessment, prevention, and treatment.
The Journal of Cardiac Failure is the official journal of the Heart
Failure Society of America and the Japanese Heart Failure Society. It
has an Impact Factor of 3.067 (the highest among journals with a heart
failure focus and 19th among all cardiovascular journals) and an
Immediacy Factor of 1.306, the 7th among all cardiovascular journals.
About the Heart Failure Society of America
The Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) is a
nonprofit educational organization, founded in 1994 as the first
organized association of heart failure experts. Today HFSA has over
1,700 members and provides a forum for all those interested in heart
function, heart failure research, and patient care. The HFSA also serves
as a resource for governmental agencies (FDA, NIH, NHLBI, CMS).
Additional information on the HFSA can be found at
www.hfsa.org.
