Researchers Link Alzheimer’s to Heart Disorder
U.S. researchers have released a study linking a common heart disorder with an elevated risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
The study, based on clinical data from more than 37,000 patients, revealed that patients under the age of 70 were at 130 percent greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s if they also suffered from the heart dysfunction known as atrial fibrillation.
Atrial fibrillation is the most common form of cardiac arrhythmia and occurs when the heart’s natural pace-making node is overrun by dozens of other electrical impulses, causing the heart to beat erratically.
In the past, several research projects had connected the heart disorder to a 187 percent increase in all types of dementia, but never directly with Alzheimer’s.
“Previous studies have shown that patients with atrial fibrillation are at a higher risk for some types of dementia, including vascular dementia,” explained the study’s lead researcher Dr. Jared Bunch of the Intermountain Medical Center in Utah. “But to our knowledge, this is the first large-population study to clearly show that having atrial fibrillation puts patients at greater risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease.”
According to several clinical research studies, roughly 80 percent of all dementia cases are caused by Alzheimer’s, which health experts have understood for years to be linked to age and genetics.
The research group has ventured a number of hypotheses to explain the physiological connection between the two seemingly disparate health conditions.
One possible link, they explained, could be that atrial fibrillation causes damage to small blood vessels and ultimately hinders the flow of blood to the brain.
Atrial fibrillation is also associated with frequent micro-strokes that may be imperceptible to the patient. The researcher team suggests that the damage from these tiny blood clots to the brain could accumulate over time, making Alzheimer’s far likelier.
Finally, the groups noted that atrial fibrillation is also known to cause general inflammation throughout the body, another factor known to increase the risk of Alzheimer’s.
The team says that more research is desperately needed to better elucidate the connection between this common form of heart disease and the devastating neurodegenerative disorder.
“Now that we’ve established this link, our focus will be to see if early treatment of atrial fibrillation can prevent dementia or the development of Alzheimer’s disease,” said study co-author, Dr. John Day.
Chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust Rebecca Wood added: “If research helps us understand the relationship between the two conditions, we will be in a better position to develop desperately needed new treatments.”
“We can all lower our dementia risk by maintaining a balanced diet and taking regular exercise, which is also good advice for protecting your heart,” she added.
Alasdair Little of the British Heart Foundation, commented that the study highlighting the connection between the two disorders hardly comes as a shock to veterans of the health care profession.
“The risk factors for heart disease and dementia are very similar, so it is not surprising that in some people they co-exist.”
The results of the study were presented in full to the Heart Rhythm Society in Boston last week.
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