AF and dementia

[Hardjuice]

I heard today from a doctor treating the father in law ref dementia

Father in law has AF

doctor says AF leads to dementia

I wonder if he’s correct

[BobD Volunteer]

Not entirely. Any vascular dementia is likely caused by micro embolii which of course would be prevented in most cases by anticoagulation. Untreated or undiagnosed AF would not be so treated.

[Hardjuice in reply to BobD]

I’ve read a few posts on here ref the same and understand the logic of your reply

And thank you

[HGates in reply to BobD]

medicalnewstoday.com/articl...

This suggests it’s not quite so clear cut as that. It’s definitely a subject I’d like to spend more time reading up on. I know they looked at aspirin use a while back & found no evidence that long term use reduced the risk of developing dementia. There was talk back in 2018 of a study using DOACs but this seems to have not come to fruition yet - at least I can’t find anything online beyond the study design.

[Jalia]

Possibly a bit of a sweeping statement! I go along with Bob's reply.

[CDreamer]

Anticoagulants, which many take if they have AF are also thought to reduce the risk of developing dementia.

[Hidden]

I read that confusion can be a side effect of AF so a link could be feasible

[beach_bum in reply to Hidden]

Well, ask my wife...I have been confused for decades and I'm only 67 😆

Confusion is a 21st century side effect of spending too much time doom-scrolling through news feeds and social media posts 😏

[Singwell]

Sounds reasonable if it's undetected. My Dad fitted with a pacemaker 7 years before passing away after passing out on a walk. Don't recall AF or meds being mentioned but he did develop vascular dementia around age of 87. So it's like he'd had a small stroke or similar. With vascular dementia you can expect around 5 years. We were lucky - Dad always knew who we were and always felt loved. Could still speak, and sing with me.

[beach_bum]

Also a new study showing a possible link between picking your nose (well so far lab mice) and Alzheimer's. So far theoretical in mice, and far off from showing a link in humans.

I'd love to see the research link for AF and dementia...they have tried to find a link between high BP and excess cholesterol, but still inconclusive. I wouldn't lose sleep over it. Look at it like "glass half full" ...80% of adults don't ever develop dementia. Don't laser focus on the 20%.

[malaekahana]

The really compelling research on factors in aging that correlate directly with dementia is sleep. Is your father in law getting 8 hours of good sleep each night? AF could possibly contribute to poor sleep, but when I track mine it doesn't seem to play a role ...

[RussJun55]

This meta analysis of AF and dementia isn't totally on-topic but it is interesting, relevant and current, so I thought I'd post it. It concludes that ablation is superior to anti arrhythmia meds for lowering the risk of dementia – as well as all cause mortality. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/362...

[AnneRB]

here in California the word is yes. Anything that makes our hearts race and stutter evidently has effects. Read the link posted above

[Peacefulneedshelp]

I found a podcast called All things Afib. The two cardiologists did discuss that possibility as a person can have mini strokes and not know it. Which can lead to loss of memory which would depend on where in the brain it happened. It is interesting to listen to the discussion between the 2 doctors and the new studies and how they interpret the findings. Something we can all benefit from. Check out that podcast. There is also a website called, All things Afib, which I haven’t yet checked out because I just found the podcasts and website myself.

[riffjack846]

Anyone reaching 65+ will most likely have some kind of medical issue and a doctor could say that it contributes to dementia. My opinion is old age contributes to dementia. AF just makes us tired. Peace

[GordonEdin]

I'm sure that it can contribute.

AF is taken seriously because of the risk that clots will form then break off, lodge in the brain and cause a stroke.

There will be a risk of tiny clots being intermittently released. These may not cause an obvious stroke but may cause damage to small vessels in the brain and gradually increasing amounts of damage. Look up "small vessel disease".

Damage can also be caused by high blood pressure, high cholesterol and probably anything else that is bad for your circulation (diabetes?).

My wife now has a "mild cognitive deficit" and scans have shown a degree of small vessel disease . She had (not very well controlled) high blood pressure for many years and developed AF about ten years ago.

Advice from neurologists seems to be "if it is good for your heart it is good for your brain".

These things take a long time to develop so if you are told in your fifties that you have high blood pressure, AF, diabetes etc then you really need to get them under control - even if you feel OK when diagnosed.

If you already have some dementia symptoms, it makes sense that controlling BP and using appropriate anticoagulants for AF may limit further damage and progression of the disease.