Do you know what atrial fibrillation (AF) is?
It’s a heart problem that often affects older people, causing their heartbeats to become irregular and sometimes really fast.
Some people have it all the time, and others just sometimes. And the surprising thing? Many people have it without even knowing!
Dementia: A Bigger Issue
Another problem that affects a lot of older people is dementia.
This is when people start to forget things and can’t think as clearly as they used to. It’s a serious disease, and doctors are working hard to understand it better.
The Link: Heart and Brain
Now, here’s something interesting. A scientist named Lina Rydén from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden has been studying a possible link between these two problems.
She looked at lots of information gathered from people who are 70 years old and followed them until they were 82 to see who developed dementia.
We already knew that people with AF have a higher chance of having a stroke, which is another brain problem. And having a stroke can make dementia even worse.
But what Dr. Rydén found out is that even without having a stroke, people with AF still have a higher chance of getting dementia.
What Might Be Happening?
So, how could a heart problem affect the brain? Dr. Rydén thinks there might be several ways.
One possibility is that the brain doesn’t get enough blood flow. Your brain needs lots of blood to work properly, and if it’s not getting enough, it can start to have problems.
Another possibility is what’s called “silent brain infarcts.” These are little damaged areas in the brain that you can see on a brain scan. But unlike strokes, they don’t cause any symptoms that you would notice.
Lastly, having AF might cause inflammation in the brain, which could lead to dementia.
Dr. Rydén found that people with AF also had more of these silent brain infarcts and small infarcts, or lacunas, deeper in the brain. These might be signs of disease in the small vessels in the brain.
What Can We Do?
Right now, doctors mainly try to treat AF to help with the symptoms and to prevent strokes. But if AF is linked to dementia, then we need to know more about the best way to treat it to lower the risk of dementia.
Since we don’t have a cure for dementia yet, it’s really important to try to prevent it by dealing with things that increase its risk.
And if heart problems like AF are one of those things, then we need to pay close attention to heart health.
Dr. Rydén says we need more research to understand how AF affects the brain. But in the meantime, it’s a good reminder that taking care of our hearts might also be a way to take care of our minds!
If you care about heart health, please read studies about how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk, and herbal supplements could harm your heart rhythm.
If you care about brain health, please read studies about how the Mediterranean diet could protect your brain health, and blueberry supplements may prevent cognitive decline.
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