Researchers Find Link Between Irregular Heartbeat and Alzheimer’s Disease

Researchers in the United States say the heart rhythm disorder called atrial fibrillation may lead to development of the memory-robbing disorder Alzheimer’s disease.

Scientists from the Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City found in a study that older patients with atrial fibrillation were 44 percent more likely to develop dementia associated with Alzheimer’s disease. The news was even worse for younger patients — those under age 70 — with atrial fibrillation, who were 130 percent more likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s dementia, the researchers said.

Also, younger atrial fibrillation patients were more likely to die from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease than older patients who suffered from both conditions, the study found.

For the study, researchers studied five years’ worth of medical records for more than 37,000 people, including 10,161 with atrial fibrillation and 1,535 with dementia.

While previous medical research has found a link between atrial fibrillation and certain forms of dementia, such as vascular dementia, the new research is the first to find a link between the irregular heart beat disorder and Alzheimer’s disease, researcher said.

“The Alzheimer’s findings — particularly the risk of death for younger patients — break new ground,” said lead researcher Dr. T. Jared Bunch.

The group’s findings were presented at the annual scientific sessions of the Heart Rhythm Society in Boston.

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