At six months, the rate of cognitive impairment went down to between 33 and 34 percent. According to the mini-mental exam, 40 to 41 percent of the patients had cognitive impairment right after the heart attack. They tested at the beginning of the study and six months later. The researchers tested 220 patients with a cognitive test called the Mini-Mental State Examination. This study found a high rate of cognitive impairment in patients after a heart attack who had no diagnosis of cognitive impairment before their heart attack. Most recently, in a study presented at the 2022 meeting of the American College of Cardiology, researchers pointed out the accumulating evidence of the link between heart attack and cognitive impairment. They suggested that the best way to prevent this type of impairment is to prevent heart disease, called primary prevention. The authors of this study conclude that cognitive impairment after a heart attack is common and probably due to decreased blood flow. Patients with a diagnosis of heart attack had significant impairment in all three tests over the 12 years. Over a period of 12 years, they were tested for memory, language, and knowledge of present circumstances. These patients did not have dementia before their heart disease diagnosis. In 2019, one of the largest studies on cognitive impairment after a diagnosis of coronary heart disease was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The authors of the study concluded that cognitive impairment after a heart attack could be a common problem and suggested that patients have support and assistance after coming home from a heart attack and that they participate in a cardiac rehabilitation program. About 30 percent had mild cognitive impairment and 25 percent had moderate to severe impairment. What Does the Research Show About Memory Loss After Heart Attack?īack in 2011, a study reported in the American Heart Journal found that out of 772 patients who had a heart attack and were tested for cognitive function one month later, only about 45 percent had normal cognitive test results. Recent studies find that about half the people who have a heart attack have enough decreased blood flow to the brain to cause some cognitive impairment. Damage to neurons starts to occur quickly if blood flow is decreased, which can happen during a heart attack. Another type of body cell that needs a constant supply of blood and oxygen are your brain cells, called neurons. Also, when you are having a heart attack, your heart is not pumping out blood to the rest of your body very well.Ī heart attack deprives your body of oxygen, explaining heart attack symptoms like shortness of breath and dizziness. When your heart is not getting enough blood, it is not getting enough oxygen carried by your blood, so heart muscle cells become damaged and may die. Cognitive Impairment and Heart Attack?Ī heart attack is decreased blood flow through the arteries that supply your heart muscles. There are many causes of cognitive impairment, but all the causes result from damage to brain cells called neurons. Cognitive impairment can be severe, like Alzheimer’s disease and or mild cognitive impairment that comes with aging. What Is Cognitive Impairment?Ĭognitive impairment is any loss of high-level intelligence that includes brain functions like memory, attention, language, judgment, reasoning, and understanding. Heart attack research now shows that one common disability found after a heart attack is a mental disability, called cognitive impairment. In fact, a heart attack is also the leading cause of disability. ![]() Although most people survive a heart attack, they may be left with disabilities caused by the heart attack. ![]() Myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack, is the most common cause of death in the western world.
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