Title | High prevalence of subclinical cerebral infarction in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2017 |
Authors | Cogswell RJ, Norby FL, Gottesman RF, Chen LYee, Solomon S, Shah A |
Secondary Authors | Alonso A |
Journal | Eur J Heart Fail |
Volume | 19 |
Issue | 10 |
Pagination | 1303-1309 |
Date Published | 2017 10 |
ISSN | 1879-0844 |
Keywords | Atrial Fibrillation, Cerebral Infarction, Cognition Disorders, Heart Failure, Humans, Prevalence, Stroke Volume |
Abstract | AIMS: Undetected atrial fibrillation (AF) may be common in the heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) population, and failure to detect this may lead to the missing of opportunities to prevent associated subclinical cerebral infarctions (SCIs) and cognitive decline. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 1527 participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, who underwent echocardiography, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and detailed cognitive assessment during 2011-13. Prevalences of SCI as detected by brain MRI were compared among the following groups: participants with no HFpEF/no AF; those with no HFpEF/AF; those with HFpEF/no AF, and those with HFpEF/AF. Cognitive scores were also compared. Prevalences of HFpEF and AF in this sample were 13.2% and 5.7%, respectively. Participants with HFpEF but no prior diagnosis of AF had a high prevalence of SCI by brain MRI (29.3%), which was similar to those in the no HFpEF/AF (24.5%) and HFpEF/AF (23.5%) groups, but higher than that in the no HFpEF/no AF subjects (17.3%). The odds of having SCI were higher in participants with HFpEF/no AF than in the no HFpEF/no AF group even after adjustment for potential confounders (odds ratio 1.56, 95% confidence interval 1.06-2.30). Individuals with HFpEF and SCI had lower cognitive scores than the reference (no HFpEF/no SCI) and HFpEF/no SCI groups. CONCLUSIONS: Subclinical cerebral infarctions were prevalent in subjects in the ARIC cohort with HFpEF and no prior AF diagnosis and are associated with measurable cognitive deficits. Although other sources of emboli may be possible, these data suggest that paroxysmal AF may be underdiagnosed in this population. There may be a role for earlier anticoagulation in patients with HFpEF. |
DOI | 10.1002/ejhf.812 |
Alternate Journal | Eur J Heart Fail |
PubMed ID | 28738140 |
PubMed Central ID | PMC5933437 |
Grant List | HHSN268201100012C / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States HHSN268201100009I / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States U01 HL096812 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States HHSN268201100010C / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States HHSN268201100008C / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States HHSN268201100005G / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States U01 HL096917 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States HHSN268201100008I / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States HHSN268201100007C / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States HHSN268201100011I / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States HHSN268201100011C / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States U01 HL096902 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States HHSN268201100006C / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States HHSN268201100005I / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States U01 HL096814 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States HHSN268201100009C / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States R01 HL070825 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States HHSN268201100005C / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States U01 HL096899 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States HHSN268201100007I / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States K24 AG052573 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States |