A new study found that people who have had a heart attack may be at risk of an accelerated rate of cognitive aging—equivalent to as much as 6 to 13 years.
The study by Johns Hopkins Medicine, published on May 30 in JAMA Neurology, examined the impact of a heart attack on overall cognitive function, memory, and brain skills known as executive functions—such as the ability to follow multi-step instructions and display self-control.
Researchers found that having a heart attack did not affect those three cognitive measures immediately following the event—rather, it impacted long-term brain health. Cognitive scores of those who had a heart attack accelerated over the next six or so years at a much steeper rate compared to those who did not, with the steepest annual rate of decline seen in older men compared with women.
Out of this sample, 1,033 of the participants had at least one heart attack during the course of the study.
The increase in the annual rate of decline for people who had heart attacks was small, wrote Dr. Eric Smith and Dr. Lisa Silbert in an accompanying editorial. Smith is the medical director of the Cognitive Neurosciences Clinic at the University of Calgary in Alberta, and Silbert is a professor of neurology at Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine in Portland.
However, “it is possible that accruing subclinical decline over years or decades could eventually impair function or decrease cognitive reserve, making the person more vulnerable to the effects of age-related neurodegenerative pathologies,” Smith and Silbert wrote.
The findings “suggest that prevention of [a heart attack] may be important for long-term brain health,” the authors wrote.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, causing one death every 33 seconds. Every year, about 805,000 people in the United States have a heart attack.
A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to the heart muscle is interrupted, usually by a blockage in an artery. This deprives the muscle of oxygen and nutrients and may lead to cardiac arrest, in which the heart stops beating.
“Cardiac arrest may be reversed if CPR is performed and a defibrillator shocks the heart and restores a normal heart rhythm within a few minutes,” according to the American Heart Association.
To reduce the chances of experiencing a further heart attack, the CDC advises people to follow a healthy diet, increase physical activity, stop smoking, manage stress, as well as take their prescribed medications.
CNN Wire contributed to this report.
Important Notice: This article was also published at www.theepochtimes.com by Jane Nguyen where all credits are due.
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