Texas: Millions of people worldwide with heart disease (some undiagnosed) may be at increased risk of developing dementia, a team of experts has warned.
A recent study found that four out of 10 cases of this memory-destroying disease can be prevented with simple lifestyle changes.
A number of heart conditions, from irregular heartbeats to the aftermath of a heart attack, dramatically increase the risk of mental illness later in life, experts said.
According to a scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA) published in the journal Stroke, three common heart diseases in adults (heart failure, atrial fibrillation and coronary heart disease) are associated with an increased risk of dementia.
It should be noted that difficulty in thinking and understanding is considered as the beginning of dementia.
People with atrial fibrillation (a condition that causes irregular and abnormally fast heartbeats) have the highest risk of dementia (39 percent), compared to 27 percent for people with cardiovascular disease.
The AHA added that about half of people who suffer from heart attack and heart failure experience a decline in brain function after the emergency.
