A new study has found that the individuals with heart failure experience cognitive decline sooner compared to those who did not develop the condition.
The research team, led by Michigan Medicine, observed around 30,000 adults and concluded that the heart failure is linked to a significant decrease in cognition at the time of diagnosis.
Over the years, Global cognition and executive functioning declined significantly after heart failure diagnosis, with individuals mentally aging by 10 years within just seven years of diagnosis.
Supriya Shore First author and Clinical Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine-Cardiology – University of Michigan Medical School.
“Heart failure is a disease that never goes away and treating it relies heavily on a patient’s ability to follow specific instructions, monitor their symptoms and keep up with many different medications. Seeing this cognitive decline among patients, and how it worsens over time after a diagnosis of heart failure, should be a warning for providers to assess a patient’s cognitive ability early and factor it into the care plan.”
The study also highlighted that the common risk factors for cognitive impairment, such as high blood pressure and heart attack, did not explain the accelerated decline seen among the participants with heart failure. The largest decline in global cognition, which includes attention and problem solving skills, observed among older adults, women, and white participants.
According to the Investigators, adults with heart failure would experience significant decline in global cognition nearly six years earlier than people without the condition.
Deborah A. Levine, Professor of Internal Medicine and Neurology at U-M Medical School, commented that, “Regular cognitive monitoring of older adults with heart failure would help identify individuals with the earliest signs of cognitive decline who require supportive care. We need a better understanding of the mechanisms driving accelerated cognitive decline after heart failure to develop interventions that halt or slow the decline.”
“Most people with heart failure, as well as their care partners, want discussions around prognosis to begin early in the course of the disease and to be repeated routinely using patient-centered language. They want to speak candidly about quality of life and survival assessments. Even though these conversations are tough, people want to have it. With what we know about the rate of cognitive decline in this patient population, there is a major need to meet patients where they are with clarity and compassion to improve overall care in heart failure,” added Shore.
