More than six million people in the United States live with heart failure, and new research suggests they may lose their thinking and memory skills much faster than those without the condition.
A large study led by Michigan Medicine followed the mental abilities of nearly 30,000 adults over time. The researchers compared people who developed heart failure to those who didn’t.
The results showed that people with heart failure already had lower brain function when they were diagnosed.
Even more concerning, their memory, attention, and decision-making skills continued to decline at a faster rate over the following years.
The study, published in Circulation: Heart Failure, found that within just seven years of being diagnosed with heart failure, patients’ cognitive function aged the equivalent of 10 years. That means they lose brain abilities much faster than expected for their age.
“Heart failure never really goes away.
Managing it requires people to keep track of many medications, watch their symptoms closely, and follow complex medical advice,” said Dr. Supriya Shore, the lead author and a cardiologist at the University of Michigan.
“When patients also lose mental sharpness, it becomes even harder for them to take care of themselves.”
The research showed that the typical causes of memory problems—like high blood pressure or past heart attacks—could not fully explain the faster mental decline in heart failure patients. Older adults, women, and white participants had the biggest drop in thinking abilities after a heart failure diagnosis.
On average, people with heart failure reached the point of serious mental decline almost six years earlier than those without the condition. Skills like managing tasks and problem-solving also fell apart around four and a half years earlier.
“Doctors need to start checking their heart failure patients’ thinking abilities regularly, especially early on,” said Dr. Deborah Levine, senior author of the study. “That way, we can offer support and create care plans that make sense for each person.”
Why this decline happens is still a mystery. Researchers hope that future studies can uncover what causes the brain to decline so quickly after heart failure, which may lead to new treatments.
Poor memory and thinking skills also make it harder for people to understand their condition. In a related 2024 study, Dr. Shore found that most heart failure patients had a poor understanding of their prognosis. Caregivers were more likely to notice when a patient was getting worse.
Some patients said their doctors didn’t clearly explain what was happening or used complicated medical terms. Others said they wanted honest, simple conversations about what to expect.
“People want to talk about their future, their quality of life, and how long they might live,” Dr. Shore said. “Even though it’s difficult, we need to have these conversations early and often. Now that we know how fast memory can fade in heart failure patients, it’s even more important to speak with kindness and clarity.”
The study is published in Circulation: Heart Failure.
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