Study: More Likely to Suffer from Heart Disease Are Persons With Alzheimer's

A nation-wide register-based study found that persons with Alzheimer's disease suffer from ischaemic heart diseases more frequently than others.

A nation-wide register-based study carried out at the University of Eastern Finland found that persons with Alzheimer's disease suffer from ischaemic heart diseases more frequently than others, yet they undergo related procedures and surgery less frequently than persons with no diagnosed AD.

The study involved a total of 28,093 persons; that is every community-dwelling person with a diagnosed Alzheimer's disease living in Finland on 31 December 2005. According to the data obtained from the national hospital discharge register, persons with Alzheimer's disease were slightly more likely to suffer from ischaemic heart diseases than their matched control group with no existing AD diagnosis. Despite this, persons with Alzheimer's disease underwent significantly fewer procedures restoring cardiac circulation, such as coronary angioplasty and coronary artery bypass surgery, than the control group.

Ugly Cholesterol Causes Ischemic Heart Disease
The risk of ischemic heart disease is three times high in persons with high levels of the so-called ugly cholesterol, say researchers.

The results were not explained by medical treatment of cardiovascular diseases or by other related diseases such as stroke, diabetes, asthma, or cancer. Severely reduced cognitive function is a relative contraindication for coronary artery bypass surgery, but not for coronary angioplasty. However, the register-based data makes it difficult to assess whether the low number of coronary angioplasties performed on persons with Alzheimer's disease is indicative of their insufficient access to treatment.

The study constituted part of the register-based MEDALZ-2005 project, which focuses on the health of persons with Alzheimer's disease, their use of drugs and health services, and drug safety. The study was published in International Journal of Cardiology.

Source-Eurekalert

Ischemic Heart Disease Patients may be Helped by Bone Marrow Cell Therapy
Injection of bone marrow cells into the heart of patients with chronic myocardial ischemia may be associated with modest improvements in blood flow

Imaging Technique Detects Ischemic Heart Disease in Diabetic Patients
Molecular imaging technique leads to cardiovascular screening for diabetic patients who are at risk of developing ischemic heart disease.

Evidence for Causal Link Between Increased BMI and Ischemic Heart Disease: Analysis
A causal relationship between body mass index (BMI) and risk for ischemic heart disease (IHD) is supported by a Mendelian randomization analysis.