A new study has found that people who develop atrial fibrillation (AF) at a younger age are at a higher risk for several types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.
Atrial fibrillation, often called AF or AFib, is a condition where the heart beats in an irregular rhythm.
Researchers, led by Wenya Zhang from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, looked at data from the U.K. Biobank to see if the age when someone is diagnosed with AF has anything to do with their chances of getting dementia later on.
Their study included over 433,000 participants.
The team discovered that the 30,601 participants who had AF were more likely to develop all types of dementia, particularly vascular dementia, which is caused by problems with the blood supply to the brain.
However, there wasn’t a significant increase in the risk for Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common type of dementia.
One key finding was that the younger a person is when they get AF, the higher their risk of developing dementia. For example, people diagnosed with AF before they turned 65 had the highest risk, followed by those diagnosed between 65 to 74 years of age.
Interestingly, if AF was diagnosed after 75, the risk didn’t seem to increase significantly.
The Importance of Monitoring Cognitive Health
These findings stress the need for doctors and patients to be aware of the potential impact of early AF on brain health. Especially for those under 65, keeping an eye on changes in memory and thinking skills is crucial.
In summary, this study sheds light on the long-term effects of atrial fibrillation on brain health.
It suggests that early detection and treatment of AF could be important not just for heart health but also for preventing dementia, including conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.
The research emphasizes the importance of regular cognitive assessments for AF patients, particularly those diagnosed at a younger age.
If you care about heart disease, please read studies that herbal supplements could harm your heart rhythm, and how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies that apple juice could benefit your heart health, and results showing yogurt may help lower the death risks in heart disease.
The research findings can be found in JAMA Network Open.
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