Atrial Fibrillation and Cognitive Decline —Another Piece for a Big Puzzle

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia, and its prevalence is increasing over time.1, 2 AF is associated with an increased risk of stroke,3 heart failure,4 and death.5-7 In recent years, evidence has emerged to indicate that AF is associated with another growing public health problem: cognitive impairment and dementia.8 Although the evidence is compelling, existing studies suffer from several limitations such as reliance on the Mini-Mental State Examination, cross-sectional design, and lack of attention to domain-specific changes.

Source: Heart Rhythm - October 10, 2017 Category: Cardiology Authors: Lin Y. Chen, Win-Kuang Shen Source Type: research