Biomedical researchers make dementia discovery
Tuesday 19th May 2009
Biomedical researchers have discovered a link between dementia and a common heart disorder.
A team at the Intermountain Medical Centre (IMC) claim to have established an association between the condition and atrial fibrillation - which occurs when the atria in the heart contract at a very high rate and in an irregular way.
The research involved studying a database of 37,000 patients and it found that people with the heart disorder were 44 per cent more likely to develop dementia.
John Day, director of heart rhythm services at IMC and co-author of the study, stated: "It really raises the question: If we can treat atrial fibrillation, if we can prevent it, can we prevent Alzheimer's from developing in the future?"
However, he added that it would be a "huge leap" to say that treating the heart condition would prevent Alzheimer's.
The team involved in the study recently presented their findings at the Heart Rhythm Society's scientific meeting in Boston.
Written by Mathew Horton
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