Past Heart Attack Linked to Faster Cognitive Decline in Long-Term Study

Overview

• A Stroke journal analysis of a large U.S. cohort reports that people with a past heart attack experienced faster declines in memory and thinking across demographic groups.
• The study tracked 20,923 REGARDS participants who had baseline interviews and ECGs, then completed a brief six‑question phone test each year for about a decade.
• Heart attack survivors had an average 5% higher chance each year of developing cognitive impairment compared with those without a prior event.
• Unrecognized “silent” heart attacks found only on ECG were common and tied to the same faster decline, and these silent events were more frequent in women.
• Authors urge clinicians to monitor brain health in these patients and to counsel on prevention steps such as the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8, while noting limits of the short screener and the cohort’s design.