Hi All
So what does everyone make of Dr Sanjay latest video re the link between AF and Demtia ?
5 x more chance of a stroke ?
Now
40% of us will get dementia ??
Am I understanding that right ???
I try and be positive but blimey what else they going to link with this AF ?
Surely the Mini Maize has to be pushed on NHS
It is the dementia risk that really bothers me. Both my parents had it and believe me I do not want to go there. Try and do sudoku and the small crossword in the DT daily in a pathetic hope of staving it off. Also have taken to swallowing beetroot pills in the hope that they might boost the oxygenation of the blood. Anyone any other ideas? Am hoping the Apixaban will alleviate the stroke risk.
7 hours+ sleep , healthy diet, mixing socially, healthy weight and doing challenging mental tasks (eg studying mathematics) are recommended. A recent programme recommended beetroot juice rather than a supplement.
Trying to do that. Trying to understand quantum but not succeeding cos I keep thinking I am in the land of make believe. Don’t mix much cos of covid. Play bridge on line a bit and golf.
Hi Granny,
I understand MCT oil is helpful in maintaining cognitive health, it assists in keeping the links in the brain cells healthy. It's coconut oil minus the long-chain triglycerides which are the saturated fats. It's also good for energy with no real downsides, might be worth a try.
I take one spoonful a day and most importantly, I keep the brain cells busy.
Good luck
OK so what is the dementia risk for non AF people then?
We have discussed in the past the risk of micro embolii formed during ablation and at possibly other times but surely anticoagulation greatly reduces the risk. Old age forgetfulness is not dementia. That is what I keep telling myself anyway. lol 😁
Agree with you Bob, I tell myself the same.
I’m 51 with no other Co morbidities and had 1 failed ablation . They are trying to take me off anticoagulants ( only on them for the procedure) . I’ve told them no chance with Stroke risk and certainly not now with dementia being thrown in the pot .
If they are not recommending an anticoagulant that must mean you are CHADSVASC 0 or 1. So the risk a bleed outweighs the risk of a stroke. Personally, I would not take an AC if it were not recommended. The video points out that taking an anticoagulant might even make dementia more likely as small clots can go to the brain as a result of taking it.
dementiastatistics.org/stat...
So as far as I can gather, 1/10 or 1/18 (depending on who provides the stats) of over 65 year olds will have or get dementia. We are ALL going to get some form of dementia eventually and we will all have different symptoms. Why worry about something we can’t change but we should be aware of what we can do to help ourselves - such as anticoagulants.
As Bob says, the associated risk for AF people is from vascular dementia caused by micro clots. Anticoagulants have been shown to reduce the risk of these happening. I’ve had TIA and notice a big cognitive decline after which very gradually improved over time. I’ve been helping an 83 year old who had suffered a stroke which left him badly cognitively challenged but otherwise very fit and active but this man has improved dramatically since his stroke, lives independently with some support, shops and takes care of himself. It’s not all doom and gloom, unless you make it so.
Statistics mean very little for the individual.
Take care and keep active - socially engaged, take exercise, stick to 80% plant based foods and enjoy life is the best antidote.
I’m finding it difficult to find that spot in the video without watching it all. I suspect that it could be more like a 40% increased risk. Which would mean 1.4 people out of ten, instead of 1 out of 10?Hopefully greatly reduced with anticoagulants. I’m very glad to get the anticoagulants I must admit!
I’ve just gone on the waiting list for a cryoablation, and of course there are still more risks/benefits to weigh up with that. I’m not very symptomatic when in AF, but it does drag me down. One medication didn’t suit me and also I had breakthroughs.
Any of the anti-arrhythmics has side effects too. On balance I feel that the ablation would be best done earlier before this progresses much more. But I’m even worrying about whether the imaging during the process could be harmful.
I believe that dementia risk is highly dependent upon diet because the most risk is in the US for people on the standard American diet and the least for some isolated peoples living ‘natural’ agricultural lives.
My mother-in-law was a very smart woman. Excellent at crossword puzzles. But had a horrible diet! (Not so smart in how to eat right) She developed dementia and I feel strongly it was due to her diet. So sad. So unnecessary.
As you say, more to worry about. Not even gonna watch it...
Gumbie_Cat is right, it's a 40% increase in risk NOT 40% of us will get dementia. This increased risk is reduced to virtually nothing by using anticoagulants, see: medscape.com/viewarticle/90...
so as long as you take anticoags you have no increased risk compared with everyone else. If you are on warfarin, it's important to keep your time in therapeutic range high (i.e. over75%):
jafib.com/published.php?typ...
Hi Mark
So why isn’t Dr Sanjay more clearer on this ?
More unnecessary paranoia for me lol
Dr Sanjay needs to waffle a lot less and just lay the facts out. He has important messages but they get lost. I think his 15 minute videos would be improved by condensing to 3 minutes.
This paper discusses the topic in some detail: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
I must say that I do get brain fog and problems finding words when I’m having a bad bout of AF. I think this is reduced oxygen to the brain rather than plaques forming. I recover once I’m back in SR. I’m not going to worry about something I can’t change.
I had read about the risk of dementia for AFib folks, in the book The AFib Cure. I’ll have to review that chapter. Unfortunately, I have an intolerance to OAC’s. They make me anemic. I had a Watchman device implanted so I can get off my Axiban. I’m in the 45 day waiting period. In the meantime I feel horrible! I’ve watched my iron and hemoglobin go down and down for the last 9 months of being on the OAC. I am so weak. Trying plant based iron supplement but no improvement yet. Just constipation and stomach upset. I’m not a big red meat eater, but trying. Seems like it is all a bit futile to try and get better while still on the drug causing the anemia. But no choice, of course.
AF and Increased Dementia Risk
Dr Sanjay Gupta
Dr Sanjay Gupta..Some Clarification...
AF and dementia 
