Summary of Johns Hopkins Research Links Heart Attacks With Faster Cognitive Decline:
A study by Johns Hopkins Medicine found a link between heart attacks and a quicker decline in cognitive function. The study shows that while patients do not generally experience cognitive decline immediately following a heart attack, those who have experienced one show a faster cognitive decline over the following years. The study highlights the importance of controlling vascular risk factors such as high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol to maintain brain health. The study was conducted on data collected from people who experienced their first heart attack, with the decline in cognitive function equivalent to six to 13 years of cognitive aging. The following steps for this research are to look at other aspects of heart health and how they may affect brain health.
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Heart Attacks Linked to Faster Cognitive Decline, Study Finds
A new study by Johns Hopkins Medicine has revealed a link between heart attacks and accelerated cognitive decline. The research, published in JAMA Neurology, shows that although there is no immediate cognitive decline after a heart attack, the event does significantly speed up cognitive decline in the years following, equivalent to about six to 13 years of cognitive aging.
The study highlights the importance of managing vascular risk factors to maintain brain health, with researchers urging people to control risk factors like high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol as early as possible to reduce the risk of cognitive decline later in life.
No Immediate Cognitive Decline After Heart Attack
In the study, researchers analyzed data from adults who had experienced their first heart attack and compared it to people similar to them, except they had not had a heart attack. They used a point system to measure participants’ global cognition, memory, and executive functioning over time.
While the researchers did not find significant cognitive decline immediately after the first heart attack, they observed a decline in cognitive tests over the years following. The decline in global cognition after a heart attack was equivalent to six to 13 years of cognitive aging.
Heart Attacks and Cognitive Decline in the Following Years
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 805,000 people in the US have a heart attack yearly, with 605,000 being a first heart attack. The research team hopes that the results of their study will serve as a wake-up call for people to manage vascular risk factors, including high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol.
The study included 30,465 people who had not experienced a heart attack or stroke at their first cognitive assessment. Of these, 1,033 went on to have at least one heart attack; out of that number, 137 had two heart attacks.
The participants who suffered a heart attack were more likely to be male and older. The study sample included 29% Black individuals, 8% Hispanic individuals, and 56% women.
Preventing Heart Attacks to Support Brain Health
The study highlights the importance of preventing heart attacks and managing vascular risk factors. Further research will be needed to determine the exact causes of cognitive decline following a heart attack over time.
“Preventing heart attacks may be one strategy to preserve brain health in older adults,” says Dr. Michelle Johansen, the study’s lead author and an associate professor of neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “Now we need to determine what is causing the cognitive decline over time.”
The study was supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Health and Human Services. Hopefully, the findings will encourage healthcare providers and patients to work together to manage vascular risk factors and take preventative measures to support brain health.
