Heart failure impacts millions of Americans. Now, researchers say it’s linked to cognitive decline

More than six million Americans have heart failure. The progressive condition contributes to hundreds of thousands of deaths each year.

People develop it after the heart’s muscle is injured and gradually loses its ability to pump enough blood to supply the body’s needs. Now, researchers say those affected by it may also have to worry about a link to cognitive decline.

“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,” Dr. Supriya Shore, clinical assistant professor of internal medicine-cardiology at the University of Michigan Medical School, said in a statement.

“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,” she said.

Shore was the lead author of the research, which was recently published in the journal Circulation: Heart Failure.

To reach these conclusions, the authors examined the cognitive abilities of nearly 30,000 adults. They compared the health of those who did and did not develop heart failure, finding that heart failure was associated with a significant decrease in cognition at the time of diagnosis.

In addition, they found that cognition and executive functioning also declined more rapidly over the years after diagnosis. Executive functioning refers to the ability to engage in higher-level cognitive skills, according to Health.

People with heart failure mentally aged the equivalent of 10 years within just seven years of a diagnosis. Adults with heart failure would reach the threshold for meaningful decline in global cognition nearly six years earlier than people without it, they discovered.

Typical risk factors for cognitive impairment did not explain the accelerated decline they observed.

Furthermore, they found that the largest decrease in global cognition occurred among older adults, women, and white participants. Global cognition includes a range of mental processes, such as thinking and learning.

While these findings are alarming, they may help to better treat and monitor people with heart failure now and in the future. The number of Americans who have heart failure is expected to increase to 8.7 million by 2030. It currently directly accounts for about 8.5 percent of all heart disease deaths in the U.S.

“Regular cognitive monitoring of older adults with heart failure would help identify individuals with the earliest signs of cognitive decline who require supportive care,” said senior author Dr. Deborah Levine, a professor of internal medicine and neurology at the University of Michigan Medical School.

“We need a better understanding of the mechanisms driving accelerated cognitive decline after heart failure to develop interventions that halt or slow the decline,” she added.