Left atrial structural or functional abnormalities increase the risk of dementia!

A study published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association shows that left atrial structural or functional abnormalities, with or without symptoms, are independent risk factors for dementi.

And the risk was increased even in those who did not have atrial fibrillation or strok.

In this study, atrial heart disease was defined as ≥ 1 of the following conditions at the fifth follow-up visit:

Electrocardiogram showed that the terminal P wave potential in lead V1 was >5000?mV·ms, NT-proBNP was >250?pg/mL, or transthoracic echocardiography showed left atrial volume index ≥34?ml/m2.

The study showed that the prevalence of atrial cardiomyopathy in the population was 34% (1709/5078), and 763 people suffered from dementia after more than 30 years of follow-u.

The absolute incidence of dementia was significantly higher in patients with atrial cardiomyopathy (69/1000 person-years v.

Further analysis showed that people with atrial cardiomyopathy had a 35% higher risk of dementi.

If atrial cardiomyopathy was defined by ≥2 of these conditions (478 patients), there was a 54% increased risk of dementi.

After excluding patients with atrial fibrillation or stroke and accounting for other vascular risks, those with atrial cardiomyopathy still had a 31% and 28% increased risk of dementia, respectivel.

Figure 1 Kaplan-Meier curves of cumulative dementia-free survival in patients with atrial heart disease, unadjusted (A) and adjusted for (B) related factors

The study analyzed data from 5,078 participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, with a mean age of 75 years, 59% female and 21% African America.

Source: Risk of Dementia Associated With Atrial Cardiopathy: The ARIC Study, Journal of the American Heart Association (2022.