Heart failure patients often cognitively impaired

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Cognitive dysfunction is common in people with congestive heart failure, results of a Dutch study indicate.

Congestive heart failure is a chronic condition in which the heart fails to pump blood efficiently to the body's organs. It can be caused by a number of things including clogged arteries, heart attack and high blood pressure.

Dr. Raymond L. C. Vogels, of Saint Lucas-Andreas Hospital, Amsterdam, and colleagues compared the cognitive function of 62 adults with congestive heart failure, 53 control subjects diagnosed with cardiovascular disease uncomplicated by congestive heart failure and 42 healthy controls.

They report in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society that individuals with congestive heart failure exhibited a pattern of general cognitive impairment.

The deficits were primarily seen in the domains of memory, language, mental speed, attention and so-called executive function -- a term used to describe skills such as planning, initiating behavior and being able to flexibly change activities.

Overall, 25 percent of heart failure patients were classified as cognitively impaired compared to 15 percent of adults with cardiovascular disease uncomplicated by congestive heart disease and 4 percent of healthy adults.

The cognitive deficits described in this varied group of chronic congestive heart failure patients "may explain the reported low compliance with therapy and complex rehabilitation programs," Vogels and colleagues note.

SOURCE: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, November 2007.