Heart rhythm disorders more likely to cause dementia in women than men: Study

According to research, women with atrial fibrillation progress toward cognitive impairment and dementia more quickly than men with the heart rhythm condition. Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder, affecting more than 40 million people worldwide.

Presenting the study at the ongoing ACNAP 2023, a scientific conference of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), researchers said that women have more symptoms of atrial fibrillation than men and the disorder has worse outcomes, including death. The risk of stroke is higher and the stroke is more disabling.

Study author Dr. Catherine Wood said, “The symptoms of atrial fibrillation in women are often ignored by healthcare providers or attributed to stress or anxiety, so it may go undiagnosed for a long time , while men are more likely to be diagnosed and treated.” Emory University, Atlanta, US

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“Being undiagnosed means not taking oral anticoagulant medication to prevent blood clots and strokes caused by atrial fibrillation. These women may have clots that travel to small blood vessels in their brain, causing them to slowly lose brain function and develop cognitive impairment,” she says. Added.

Dementia is more common in women than in men. Atrial fibrillation is associated with a higher risk for cognitive impairment and dementia, possibly because the condition is associated with a more than twofold risk of silent stroke. Stroke prevention with oral anticoagulants is the main priority in the management of atrial fibrillation and may reduce the risk of dementia.

“However, we do know that women are less likely than men to receive these drugs. This is another reason why women can have small silent strokes that go unrecognized and cause damage to brain tissue. that lead to cognitive impairment,” Dr. Wood said.

In the study, published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, the team included 43,630 participants from the US. Women with atrial fibrillation were three times more likely to have mild and rapid cognitive impairment and dementia than women without the heart rhythm disorder. In men, the association was found to be statistically insignificant.