Neurologist Fernando Testai: heart patients are at greater risk of developing dementia.
Neurologist Fernando Testai, representing the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago (USA), said in an interview with CNN that people with chronic heart disease are susceptible to dementia, a pathology characterized by a decline in cognitive functions, also known as acquired dementia. The doctor explained that existing heart disease threatens dementia due to the fact that it is a significant factor in the disruption of blood supply to the brain. In heart patients, due to insufficient blood supply, the risk of death of brain cells and tissues increases, which contributes to the development of neurodegenerative processes.
“Problems with blood supply to the brain lead to the death of brain cells and tissues and, as a result, can provoke dementia. To prevent this pathology, it is extremely important to monitor the health of the cardiovascular system,” Fernando Testai emphasized.
The professor specified that the cause of dementia can be ischemic heart disease. In this case, cholesterol plaques form and accumulate in almost all arteries of the body. As a result, the internal space of these most important vessels narrows, and the brain is deprived of a full blood flow. In cardiac ischemia, the small vessels of the brain are the first to be damaged – this significantly increases the likelihood that a person will begin to develop processes characteristic of dementia.
“In addition, dementia can be provoked by heart failure and type 2 diabetes, which causes inflammation in the body and disrupts blood flow to the brain,” the neurologist stated.
Symptoms of dementia:
- Loss of short-term memory;
- Problems concentrating;
- Problems performing routine daily tasks;
- Speech disorders: lack of logical connections, inability to follow a thought in a conversation, use of incorrect words that do not fit the meaning;
- Disorientation, confusion about time and place
- Mood swings, tearfulness, depression, suspiciousness.
Earlier, the MedikForum.ru portal wrote that taking soda for heartburn seriously harms the condition of the heart and blood vessels.
Important! Information is provided for reference purposes. Ask a specialist about contraindications and side effects and do not self-medicate under any circumstances. At the first signs of illness, consult a doctor.