Several studies have shown that people with an irregular heartbeat, known as atrial fibrillation, may develop long-term cognitive impairments relating to thinking and memory, resulting from the potential impact of this condition on cerebral blood circulation.
Can treating an irregular heartbeat help preserve cognitive function? Yes, it can help
According to a recent preliminary study, individuals with atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat, who undergo a medical procedure known as catheter ablation, may experience a lower risk of developing dementia in comparison to those who solely rely on medication for treatment.
The study’s findings, which were released today, are set to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 75th Annual Meeting, to be conducted both in-person in Boston and broadcast live online from April 22-27, 2023.
Catheter ablation employs radiofrequency energy transmitted through a tube into the heart, which eliminates minute areas of heart tissue that may be causing the abnormal heartbeat.
“Previous studies have found that people with arrythmias may have long-term thinking and memory problems due to how this condition may affect the blood flow to the brain,” said Bahadar Srichawla, DO, of University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School in Worcester and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. “Our findings show that treatment with catheter ablation is linked to a reduced risk of cognitive impairment.”
According to Bahadar Srichawla, DO, who is a member of the American Academy of Neurology and works at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School in Worcester, “previous studies have found that people with arrythmias may have long-term thinking and memory problems due to how this condition may affect the blood flow to the brain.”
However, Srichawla’s team has discovered that treatment with catheter ablation is associated with a lower risk of cognitive impairment, suggesting that this intervention could be beneficial for such patients.
The current study was conducted on a cohort of 887 individuals with an average age of 75 years at the beginning of the study. Among this group, 193 participants underwent catheter ablation.
Over the course of the study, participants took a memory and cognition test at the commencement of the research, after one year, and again after two years. The test involved evaluating abilities in areas such as short-term memory, attention, concentration, and language, with scores ranging from zero to 30.
Cognitive impairment was defined as a score of 23 or below. Those who received catheter ablation exhibited an average score of 25, while individuals who did not undergo the procedure recorded an average score of 23.
According to the findings, individuals who received catheter ablation were reportedly 36% less prone to cognitive impairment than their counterparts who only received medication, after accounting for factors such as heart disease, renal disease, sleep apnea, and atrial fibrillation risk score.
These findings “are encouraging, however, there are many factors taken into consideration when catheter ablation is prescribed,” Srichawla cautioned. “More research is needed to confirm our results.”
One constraint of the research was the absence of any records regarding the assessment of cerebral blood flow.
Image Credit: Getty