Atrial Cardiopathy Is Associated with an Increased Risk of Dementia

Researchers published an article in the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA) stating that atrial cardiopathy may be associated with increased dementia risk. Data from the WHO suggests that approximately 55 million people worldwide have dementia. Based on information from Alzheimer’s Disease International, by 2050, 139 million people in the world will have dementia.

According to the JAHA paper, atrial cardiopathy is “characterized by an abnormality in left atrial (LA) structure or function and is increasingly recognized as an important contributor to ischemic stroke.”

Dementia risk is associated with multiple factors, including age, diet, exercise, drinking and smoking, vitamin deficiencies, medication regimens, genetic history, and more. An earlier dementia diagnosis can prolong patients’ life span and improve their prognosis.

In neuroscience, understanding dementia risk factors have been widely researched to provide patients with the best outcomes. Other risk factors explored include muscle strength, stroke, atrial fibrillation (AF), and activity levels.

Investigators in the JAHA association conducted a prospective cohort analysis using data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study. After conducting regression analysis, they found that atrial cardiopathy significantly impacted dementia risk, increasing it by 35%.

In addition, they could determine that this risk was independent of the risk associated with AF or stroke.

“Based on the mediation analysis, we found that both AF and stroke mediated some of the effects between atrial cardiopathy and dementia, but that the relative contributions were less than 10%. These findings reveal that a state of atrial cardiopathy, which precedes AF and stroke, contributes to the risk of dementia, independent of AF, and stroke. We cautiously suggest that an understanding of this relationship might provide a basis for new interventional strategies to help thwart the development of dementia,” stated researchers in the publication.

To confirm the findings of this study, further longitudinal research needs to be done. However, physicians may consider the implications of these results as they practice. This data may inform when patients receive dementia risk assessment and alter the early management of symptoms.