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Cardiac function and cognition in older community-dwelling cardiac patients
Laura H P Eggermont1, Mohamed F A Aly2,3, Pieter J Vuijk1
1Department of Clinical Neuropsychology, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Insights
Cardiac function, measured by echocardiography, did not correlate with cognitive function in older cardiac patients. This study found no link between heart health metrics and memory or executive function in this population.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Neuropsychology
- Geriatrics
Background:
- Cognitive deficits are common in older cardiac patients.
- Reduced cardiac function may underlie these cognitive impairments.
- The link between cardiac function and cognitive domains in this group is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between echocardiographic measures of cardiac function and cognitive function domains in older cardiac patients.
Main Methods:
- 117 older cardiac patients (≥70 years) underwent echocardiography.
- Cardiac function was assessed using measures like ejection fraction and diastolic function.
- Cognitive function was evaluated using memory (word-learning) and executive function tests.
Main Results:
- No significant linear or quadratic associations were found between echocardiographic measures and cognitive function.
- Cardiac function metrics did not correlate with memory or executive function outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Echocardiographic measures of cardiac function are not correlated with memory or executive function in older community-dwelling cardiac patients.
- These findings differ from previous research, suggesting a complex relationship.
Background:
Cognitive deficits have been reported in older cardiac patients. An underlying mechanism for these findings may be reduced cardiac function. The relationship between cardiac function as represented by different echocardiographic measures and different cognitive function domains in older cardiac patients remains unknown.
Methods:
An older (≥70 years) heterogeneous group of 117 community-dwelling cardiac patients under medical supervision by a cardiologist underwent thorough echocardiographic assessment including left ventricular ejection fraction, cardiac index, left atrial volume index, left ventricular mass index, left ventricular diastolic function, and valvular calcification. During a home visit, a neuropsychological assessment was performed within 7.1 ± 3.8 months after echocardiographic assessment; the neuropsychological assessment included three subtests of a word-learning test (encoding, recall, recognition) to examine one memory function domain and three executive function tests, including digit span backwards, Trail Making Test B minus A, and the Stroop colour-word test.
Results:
Regression analyses showed no significant linear or quadratic associations between any of the echocardiographic functions and the cognitive function measures.
Conclusions:
None of the echocardiographic measures as representative of cardiac function was correlated with memory or executive function in this group of community-dwelling older cardiac patients. These findings contrast with those of previous studies.