Roundup: Common Heart Conditions Linked to Higher Risk of Dementia; and More News

New Report Details Link Between Cognitive Decline and Common Heart Conditions

Keeping your heart healthy from a young age – and controlling all related risk factors – will more than likely help you avoid cognitive impairment and dementia later in life, according to a new report published by the American Heart Association (AHA).

The report, or scientific statement, reviews the latest research examining the links between cardiovascular health and brain health, including cognitive impairment as one ages. The thee common cardiovascular diseases in adults — heart failure, atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat) and coronary artery disease — are linked to an increased risk of dementia, according to “Cardiac Contributions to Brain Health,” the new scientific statement from the AHA published in the journal, Stroke.

“Dementia is commonly seen as an incurable and relentless disease that cannot be prevented,” states the Chair of the statement writing group, Fernando D. Testai, M.D., professor of neurology and rehabilitation, and vascular neurology fellowship director, at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. “Evidence shows, however, that adopting a healthy lifestyle, and identifying and treating vascular risk factors early, may help preserve normal brain function and reduce the burden of Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias.”

Heart failure is a serious condition that occurs when the heart is unable to pump enough blood and oxygen to the body's organs. A meta-analysis of previous studies found that almost 50 percent of people with heart failure experience some kind of cognitive impairment that may impact language, memory and/or executive function, states a news release on the AHA’s report.

Atrial fibrillation, the most common heart rhythm disorder in adults, is projected to increase from 2.7 million in 2020 to nearly 16 million by 2050. The link between AFib and stroke is well-known. But the connection between AFib and cognitive decline requires more research. A large meta-analysis found that AFib increases the risk of cognitive impairment by 39 percent.

Heart disease is a catch-all phrase for a variety of conditions that affect the heart’s structure and how it works. It remains the No. 1 cause of death in the U.S.. Coronary artery disease is when the arteries cannot deliver enough oxygen-rich blood to the heart. This condition significantly increases the risk of dementia and cognitive impairment.

A large systematic review of more than 1 million adults indicates that those with coronary artery disease have a 27 percent higher risk of developing dementia compared to people without heart disease. Up to 50 percent of people experience loss of brain function after a heart attack. 

The traditional risk factors for coronary artery disease, which may also contribute to AFib and heart failure, are high LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, high blood pressure, a family history, diabetes, smoking and obesity. In men, the risk increases after age 45. In women, the risk increases after 55, states the AHA.

Living a healthy lifestyle that includes good nutrition, weight management and getting plenty of physical activity can play a major role in avoiding coronary artery disease.

CDC:  15.5 Million U.S. Adults have ADHD, a Higher Prevalence Than Previously Reported

The first update on the prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among U.S. adults in more than 20 years has found that 6 percent of U.S. adults had a current diagnosis of ADHD, with 8 percent reporting a past or present diagnosis, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

That’s a higher prevalence than previously estimated among U.S. adults. Worldwide, about 2 percent to 5 percent of adults experience ADHD symptoms such as inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. The new CDC study provides the first prevalence data on ADHD in U.S. adults since 2003.

The findings are based on data collected October through November 2023 from the National Center for Health Statistics Rapid Surveys System. The CDC states: “In 2023, an estimated 15.5 million U.S. adults (6 percent) had a current ADHD diagnosis based on self-report; approximately one half received the diagnosis at age 18 years (or older).” More women (61 percent) than men were diagnosed in adulthood.

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that usually develops during childhood and can last into adulthood. According to the CDC, children with ADHD may be overly active and have trouble paying attention or controlling impulsive behaviors such as acting without thinking about what the result will be.

The CDC explains that its new report is vital because “recent data on ADHD diagnosis and treatment among adults in the U.S. are limited (and) no national data exist on ADHD treatment in U.S. adults.” Previously, estimates of the national prevalence of ADHD in adults relied on data from 2003.

More than one third of adults with ADHD were not receiving any treatment (36.5 percent), while another one third were receiving both medication and counseling or behavioral treatment (35.2 percent). About one half of adults (50.4 percent) with ADHD were prescribed medication to treat their ADHD during the previous 12 months, the CDC added.

NIH: First wave of COVID-19 Raised Risk of Heart Attack, Stroke for Up to 3 Years Later

Infection from COVID-19 appeared to significantly increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, and death for up to three years among unvaccinated people early in the pandemic -- when the original COVID strain surfaced, according to a new study supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The findings, which  pertain to individuals with or without heart disease, confirm previous research studies indicating a higher risk of cardiovascular events after a COVID-19 infection. However, the new study is the “first to suggest the heightened risk might last up to three years following initial infection, at least among people infected in the first wave of the pandemic,” states the NIH in a news release.

No vaccines were available when the study’s participants contracted COVID early in the pandemic.

Compared to those with no history of COVID-19 infection, the study found those who developed COVID early in the pandemic had double the risk for cardiovascular events. Those with severe cases had nearly four times the risk, the NIH said.

“This study sheds new light on the potential long-term cardiovascular effects of COVID-19, a still-looming public health threat,” said David Goff, M.D., Ph.D., director for the Division of Cardiovascular Sciences at NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), which largely funded the study, in a statement. “These results, especially if confirmed by longer term follow-up, support efforts to identify effective heart disease prevention strategies for patients who’ve had severe COVID-19. But more studies are needed to demonstrate effectiveness.”

Researchers analyzed data from 10,000 people enrolled in the UK Biobank, a large biomedical database of European patients. Patients were ages 40 to 69 at the time of enrollment. They included 8,000 who had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus and 2,000 who were hospitalized with severe COVID-19 between Feb. 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2020.

“The researchers compared the two COVID-19 subgroups to a group of nearly 218,000 people who did not have the condition,” the NIH states. “They then tracked the patients from the time of their COVID-19 diagnosis until the development of either heart attack, stroke, or death, up to nearly three years.”

Researchers state that it is “unclear whether the risk of cardiovascular disease is persistent or may be persistent for people who have had severe COVID-19 more recently (from 2021 to the present),” the NIH states.