ISLAMABAD, APRIL 02 (ONLINE): Researchers report that silent brain infarction (SBI) and cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) are more common among people with heart conditions.
\nCSVD is the second leading cause of vascular dementia after Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n
Expert say routine brain imaging of people with heart conditions could lead to early detection of health issues.
\nSubtle changes to blood vessels in the brain, common among people with certain heart conditions, can increase the risk of stroke and dementia, a new study reports.<\/p>\n
The review of more than 220 previously published studies found that changes to blood vessels known as silent brain infarction (SBI) and cerebral small vessel diseaseTrusted Source (CSVD) \u2014 both detectable only via brain imaging \u2014 are more common among people with atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, heart failure or cardiomyopathy, heart valve disease, and patent foramen ovale (a hole in the heart).<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the tiny blood vessels in your brain become narrow and blocked, it can prevent blood from reaching certain areas of your brain,\u201d Dr. Michael Ross MacDonald, a cardiologist at The Harley Street Heart and Vascular Centre in Singapore, told Medical News Today.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver time, this damage can accumulate and result in symptoms of vascular cognitive impairment, eventually progressing to vascular dementia,\u201d said MacDonald, who was not involved in the study.<\/p>\n
Heart conditions and brain changes
\nThe meta-analysis, published in the journal Neurology, concluded that SBI was detectable in about one in three people with heart disease.<\/p>\n
Two-thirds of the people studied had white matter lesions (damage to the protective coating around nerve fibers), a quarter had evidence of asymptomatic microbleeds in the brain, and more than half had brain atrophy, defined as a shrinkage due to loss of neurons or connections between neurons.<\/p>\n
\u201cGenerally speaking, what is bad for the heart is bad for the brain, so various cardiac conditions [like SBI and CSVD] contributing to cerebrovascular injury\u2026 makes complete sense,\u201d said Dr. Gregory Bix, the director of Tulane University\u2019s Clinical Neuroscience Research Center and vice chair of Neurosurgery and Neurology at the Tulane School of Medicine in New Orleans.<\/p>\n
\u201cSBI and CSVD are overlooked cardiovascular health conditions, to some degree, as they are chronic conditions with insidious onset of cognitive symptoms that are often missed in early stages,\u201d Bix, who was not involved in the study, told Medical News Today. \u201cHowever, CSVD is a major cause of vascular dementia, the second leading cause of dementia behind Alzheimer\u2019s disease.\u201d<\/p>\n
Heart disease and the brain\u2019s vascular system
\nThe prevalence of these changes in the brain\u2019s vascular system, which usually don\u2019t cause obvious neurological symptoms, was elevated regardless of whether the people studied had previously had a stroke, researchers reported.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough people with heart disease are two to three times more likely than the general population to have changes in their brain\u2019s vascular system, they\u2019re often overlooked, because these patients don\u2019t routinely undergo brain imaging unless they have suffered a stroke,\u201d said Dr. Zien Zhou, the lead study author and a cardiovascular and neurological researcher at The George Institute for Global Health in Sydney, Australia, in a press statement. \u201cBut it can make them more susceptible to the risk of brain bleeds from medications commonly used to treat or prevent blood clots \u2014 intracranial hemorrhage is a life-threatening complication with no proven treatment and a survival rate of less than 50 percent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zhou said that aging, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and smoking are among the likely causes of these \u201chidden\u201d changes to blood vessels in the brain.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s possible that a gradual decline in cardiac output in some patients with heart disease might affect how much blood is reaching the brain tissue, contributing to vascular changes and cognitive dysfunction in these patients,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s also possible that hidden brain changes and cognitive dysfunction are a consequence of tiny blood clots traveling to the brain through the arterial circulation after forming in the heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zhou said that further study is needed to determine whether routine brain imaging for patients undergoing anticoagulation therapy (which includes most people with heart disease) could reduce risks such as bleeding in the brain.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese findings suggest that all individuals with atrial defibrillation, coronary artery disease, heart failure or cardiomyopathy, and heart valve disease should have brain scanning,\u201d said Bix.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis study shows a clear correlation between heart disease and SBI and CSVD,\u201d he added. \u201cHowever, whether one causes the other remains to be determined.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD, APRIL 02 (ONLINE): Researchers report that silent brain infarction (SBI) and cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) are more common among people with heart conditions. CSVD is the second leading cause of vascular dementia after Alzheimer\u2019s disease. Expert say routine brain imaging of people with […]<\/p>\n
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