Dementia risk may be higher if an upper heart chamber is abnormal

Medical Xpress / American Heart Association / Journal of the American Heart Association ^ | August 10, 2022 | Michelle C. Johansen, M.D., Ph.D et al

[ConservativeMind]

Structural or functional abnormalities within the heart's left atrium, with or without symptoms, may increase a person's risk of developing dementia later in life by 35%, according to research. Dementia risk increased even among those who did not experience atrial fibrillation or stroke, two conditions known to be associated with dementia.

The left atrium is one of four chambers of the heart and is responsible for receiving blood from the lungs and pumping it into the left ventricle, which then pumps the blood to the rest of the body. An abnormality in the structure or functioning of the left atrium, known as atrial cardiopathy, can often serve as a biomarker, or predictor, of a person's cardiac risk. Atrial cardiopathy is associated with an increased risk of stroke and atrial fibrillation, which are both linked to an enhanced risk of dementia. In a study led by Michelle C. Johansen, M.D., Ph.D., the research team aimed to determine the relationship between atrial cardiopathy and dementia, and if so, whether it is independent of atrial fibrillation and stroke.

The study results highlight the need to get a better understanding of the relationship and mechanisms between a state of atrial dysfunction, that may be subclinical (not presenting symptoms) and the newly uncovered association with dementia, the researchers noted.

The analysis of the collective health data found that throughout the more than 30 years of follow-up, 763 people developed dementia, and 1,709 had atrial cardiopathy. The participants with atrial cardiopathy appeared to be 35% more likely to develop dementia. When the researchers adjusted for participants who experienced atrial fibrillation and stroke, even after accounting for other vascular risks, they still observed a respective 31% and 28% increase in dementia risk in patients with atrial cardiopathy.

[ConservativeMind]

Getting this found early and properly treated can even sometimes reverse this enlargement.

Regardless, the authors agree heart enlargement is not the sole determinant for dementia.

[ConservativeMind]

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[consult]

Sippy cup Joe Biden suffered an AFib episode in 2006

[ChildOfThe60s]

Gee, I feel better now. I have been taking a (single) med for A fib for 20 years. Since age 50.

[dfwgator]

Don’t get a heart transplant with a heart from somebody named Abbie Normal.

[catnipman]

biden has been in permanent atrial fibrillation for many years, which means neither his left nor his right atrium beat any more, but instead they quiver, with a loss of 20% of his heart’s pumping power ... to prevent blood clots from forming in the left atrial appendage, biden must take a daily dose of an anti-coagulant ...

[RouxStir]

Googling for a potential donor named “Norm Alheart” right now.

[Tunehead54]

"Getting this found early and properly treated can even sometimes reverse this enlargement."

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So all FR Pro-Vaxx posters should see a cardiac specialist? ;-)