Frequent Mild Cognitive Deficits in Several Functional Domains in Elderly Patients With Heart Failure Without Known Cognitive Disorders

• Cognitive impairment in heart failure affects all cognitive domains.
• A high proportion (85%) of heart failure patients could be classified with MCI.
• Nonamnestic MCI was the most common clinical subtype in heart failure.
• Heart failure patients may be at increased risk of vascular dementia.

BackgroundThe objective of the present study was to investigate whether mild cognitive deficits are present in patients with heart failure (HF) despite absence of any known cognitive disorder.Methods and ResultsA well defined group of patients (n = 40) with heart failure completed a cognitive screening check list, a depression screening questionnaire, and a battery consisting of neuropsychological tests assessing 5 different cognitive domains: speed/attention, episodic memory, visuospatial functions, language, and executive functions. The neuropsychological results were compared with those from a group of healthy control subjects (n = 41). The patients with HF displayed cognitive impairment compared with the control group within the domains speed and attention, episodic memory, visuospatial functions, and language. Among them, 34 HF patients (85%) could be classified with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the majority as nonamnestic MCI, ie, with no memory impairment.ConclusionsConsidering the high occurrence of mild cognitive deficits among HF patients without known cognitive disorders, closer attention should be paid to their self-care and compliance. Inadequate self-care and compliance could lead to more frequent hospitalizations. Furthermore, the HF patients may be at increased risk of dementia.