According to a recent study published in European Heart Journal, heart failure (HF) might be associated with the loss of brain cells. Researchers found that people with a declined mental process and loss of grey matter may be more susceptible to suffering heart failure.
To test this, researchers from the University of Western Australia conducted cognitive tests on 35 patients with HF, 56 patients with ischaemic heart disease and 64 healthy participants without either condition. All people in the study also had MRIs conducted to mark the volume of grey matter they had in different sections of their brains.
From the results, scientists found that people with HF had worse short and long-term memory than healthy participants. HF patients also had changes in their brain regions that correlate to cognitive and emotional processing.
Scientists believe that these new findings may require new methods for providing HF patients with treatment options. Patients might need to bring family members with elder care responsibilities into visits in order to make sure sufferers follow certain important orders.
“Our findings indicate that diseases that affect the heart affect the brain as well, and that the changes in organ function and blood circulation associated with HF seem to compound these effects in the brain,” said lead author Osvaldo Almeida. “For these reasons, primary and secondary prevention are essential to minimize the impact of heart disease on brain structure and function. They are also consistent with the possibility that patients with HF may have trouble following complex management strategies, and, therefore, treatment messages should be simple and clear. Health professionals and patients need to be aware that problems caused by heart disease are not limited to the heart.”
The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute reports that nearly 5.8 million people in the U.S. currently have HF.