Heart Failure Patients With Cognitive Impairment Have Higher Mortality Risk

Main Category: Heart Disease
Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience
Article Date: 22 Jun 2009 - 5:00 PDT

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"There are data in the literature suggesting an increased mortality in patients with chronic heart failure who are additionally suffering from cognitive decline", said Dr. Clotilde Balucani (Perugia, Italy) at the current meeting of the European Neurological Society (ENS). This major meeting in European neurology is gathering more than 2,900 experts from all over the world in Milan. Dr. Balucani and her colleagues are presenting a study funded by a research grant of the ENS.

The French-Italian research team analyzed data from three studies involving a total of 896 patients suffering from cardiac insufficiency, half of whom were cognitively impaired. Heart failure is associated with a high mortality rate even among patients not cognitively impaired: 17,9 % (after 6 months), 25,6 % (after 12 months) und 68,2 % (after 60 months). The mortality rate was even much higher in heart failure patients with cognitive impairment, with rates of 35,6 %, 40 % and 96.3 %.

"Data are yet too scarce to identify whether this is just the result of an increased morbidity in patients with cognitive impairment or if there is a direct causal relationship due to undertreatment or poor compliance," adds Dr. Balucani who would like to see more research in this area.

Abstract:
ENS abstract O119: Balucani et al, Does cognitive impairment influence outcome in congestive heart failure? A systematic review.

Source
European Neurological Society