What's good for the heart is good for the brain

Date:
January 26, 2022
Source:
American Heart Association
Summary:
While heart disease remains the #1 cause of death worldwide,
experts have noted that diseases of the brain -- especially
Alzheimer's disease and dementia -- are substantially increasing,
and they are often associated with many of the same risk factors
that cause heart disease, including high blood pressure, obesity,
diabetes and tobacco use.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
The same risk factors that contribute to making heart disease the leading
cause of death worldwide also impact the rising global prevalence of
brain disease, including stroke, Alzheimer's disease and dementia,
according to the American Heart Association's Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics -- 2022 Update, published today in the Association's flagship, peer-reviewed journal Circulation. Experts say maintaining a healthy
weight, managing your blood pressure and following other heart-healthy lifestyle behaviors can also support good brain health.


========================================================================== Optimal brain health includes the functional ability to perform all the
diverse tasks for which the brain is responsible, including movement, perception, learning and memory, communication, problem solving, judgment, decision making and emotion. Cognitive decline and dementia are often seen following stroke and cerebrovascular disease and indicate a decline in
brain health. Conversely, studies show maintaining good vascular health
is associated with healthy aging and retained cognitive function.

The global death rate from Alzheimer's disease and other dementias is increasing considerably -- even more than the rate of heart disease death:
* Globally, more than 54 million people had Alzheimer's disease
and other
dementias in 2020, that's a 37% increase since 2010 and a 144%
increase over the past 30 years (1990-2020).

* More than 1.89 million deaths were attributed to Alzheimer's
disease and
other dementias worldwide in 2020, compared to nearly 9 million
deaths from heart disease.

* Global deaths from Alzheimer's disease and other dementias
increased more
than 44% from 2010 to 2020, compared to a 21% increase in deaths
from heart disease.

* Deaths from Alzheimer's disease and other dementias increased
184% over
the past 30 years (1990-2020), compared to a 66% increase in heart
disease deaths during that same time.

Because prevalence and mortality data are tracked differently by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the U.S. compared to other countries, the Statistical Update does not offer comparable national
data for 2020.

However, nearly 2.9 million people in the U.S. were reported to have Alzheimer's disease and other dementias in 2017. Alzheimer's disease
and other dementias combined were the leading cause of death among all neurological disorders, including stroke.

"The global rate of brain disease is quickly outpacing heart disease. The
rate of deaths from Alzheimer's disease and other dementias rose more
than twice as much in the past decade compared to the rate of deaths from
heart disease, and that is something we must address," said Mitchell
S.V. Elkind, M.D. M.S., FAHA, the immediate past president of the
American Heart Association, a professor of neurology and epidemiology
at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and
attending neurologist at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University
Irving Medical Center, New York, NY. "We are learning more about how
some types of dementia are related to the aging, and how some types
are due to poor vascular health. Many studies show that the same healthy lifestyle behaviors that can help improve a person's heart health can also preserve or even improve their brain health. It's becoming more evident
that reducing vascular disease risk factors can make a real difference
in helping people live longer, healthier lives, free of heart disease
and brain disease." The 2022 Statistical Update highlights some of
that research:
* In a meta-analysis of 139 studies, people with midlife hypertension
were
five times more likely to experience impairment on global cognition
and about twice as likely to experience reduced executive function,
dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

* Nearly half of all adults (47% or 121.5 million) in the U.S. have
elevated blood pressure, based on 2015 to 2018 data.

* In a meta-analysis of longitudinal studies with up to 42 years
of follow-
up, people with obesity had three times the risk of dementia.

* Current smoking was associated with a 30%-40% increased risk
of dementia,
Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, based on a meta-analysis
of 37 prospective studies.

Having cardiovascular disease also increases the chances of developing
brain disease:
* In a meta-analysis of four longitudinal studies, the risk for
dementia
associated with heart failure was nearly two-fold.

* In the ARIC Neurocognitive study (12,515 participants, average
age of 57
years, 24% Black participants, 56% women), atrial fibrillation
was associated with greater cognitive decline and dementia over
20 years.

* A meta-analysis of 10 prospective studies (including 24,801
participants)
found that coronary heart disease was associated with a 40%
increased risk of poor cognitive outcomes including dementia,
cognitive impairment or cognitive decline.



========================================================================== There are also significant differences in the gender, race/ethnicity
and socioeconomic status of people who are more likely to develop brain
disease and dementia, an indication that social determinants of health
also play a role:
* Of the more than 54 million cases of Alzheimer's disease and other
dementias worldwide in 2020, almost 20 million were among men,
compared to nearly 35 million women. More than twice as many women
as men died from Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.

* A retrospective analysis of the 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor
Surveillance
System data found significant differences in subjective cognitive
decline across non-white racial and ethnic groups when compared to
white adults in the 20,843 respondents who reported being diagnosed
with stroke.

Compared to white adults, other racial and ethnic groups were more
likely to report worsening confusion or memory loss that contributed
to not participating in everyday activities or difficulty with work,
volunteer, and social activities outside of the home at least some
of the time.

After adjustments for sex, age, education, income and comorbidities,
Black adults were one-and-a-half times more likely and Hispanic
adults were more than twice as likely than white adults to give up
day-to-day household activities or chores because of confusion or
memory loss. Black adults were almost three times as likely and
Hispanic adults were more than four times as likely to report
needing assistance with everyday activities compared to white
adults. These findings are likely due to social determinants
of health negatively impacting communities of color over their
lifetime, advised Elkind.

Estimated U.S spending on dementias more than doubled from $38.6 billion
in 1996 to $79.2 billion in 2016. Spending on dementias was among the
top 10 health care costs in the United States in 2016.

"Like cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, dementia and other
cognitive ailments are a tremendous emotional and economic burden
across the globe," said Connie W. Tsao, M.D., M.P.H., FAHA, chair of
the Statistical Update writing group, assistant professor of medicine
at Harvard Medical School and attending staff cardiologist at Beth
Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. "This new chapter on brain
health was a critical one to add. The data we've collected brings to
light the strong correlations between heart health and brain health
and makes it an easy story to tell -- what's good for the heart is
good for the brain." Over the past several years, the American Heart Association has supported more than $46 million in research funding
focused on brain health. In a $43 million collaboration with The Paul
G. Allen Frontiers Group, the Association is funding three projects
that are now underway to find innovative ways to understand and improve
brain health and cognitive impairment science. A $3.3 million grant in collaboration with global philanthropist and technology visionary Bill
Gates is committed to advancing the scientific evidence base related to
brain health and dementia. The project supports a new brain health and
dementia technology research center at Boston University. Additionally,
it will support the global exchange of research data to help scientists
around the world collectively work in accelerating new discoveries
related to heart and brain health, including the early detection and
treatment of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

"Advancing brain science through innovative research will help scientists
shed new light on the causes and contributors to cognitive impairment and dementia, particularly as it relates to heart and vascular health. This
is an important step in the Association's ongoing commitment to better understand how our brains age and how vascular health impacts brain health
and overall well- being," said Elkind, who is a member of the Statistical Update writing committee. "Additionally, it's critical that as a society
and as individuals we understand and make the changes needed to improve
health outcomes from brain disease and, more importantly, prevent them
to begin with." Along with new information on brain health, the 2022 Statistical Update provides the latest available data on key factors
related to heart disease and stroke:
* On average, someone dies of cardiovascular disease (CVD) every
36 seconds
in the U.S. There are 2,396 deaths from CVD each day, based on
2019 data.

* On average, someone in the U.S. has a stroke every 40 seconds. There
are
about 795,000 new or recurrent strokes each year, based on 1999
data.

* On average, someone dies of a stroke every 3 minutes and 30
seconds in
the U.S. There are about 411 deaths from stroke each day, based
on 2019 data.

* Approximately 1 in 4 (24%) U.S. adults reported achieving adequate
leisure-time aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities to meet
the physical activity guidelines, based on 2018 data.

* 1 in 7 male adults and 1 in 8 female adults in the U.S. are current
smokers, based on 2019 data.



========================================================================== Tracking such trends is one of the reasons the American Heart Association publishes the definitive statistical update annually, providing a
comprehensive resource of the most current data, relevant scientific
findings and assessment of the impact of cardiovascular disease nationally
and globally.

The U.S. data is gathered in conjunction with the National Institutes
of Health and other government agencies, while the global trends are
provided by the Global Burden of Disease Study from the Institute for
Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.

The annual update represents a compilation of the newest, most
relevant statistics on heart disease, stroke and risk factors impacting cardiovascular health. It tracks trends related to ideal cardiovascular
health, social determinants of health, global cardiovascular health, cardiovascular health genetics and health care costs. Tsao emphasized
the importance of this surveillance as a critical resource for the lay
public, policy makers, media professionals, clinicians, health care administrators, researchers, health advocates and others seeking the
best available data on these factors and conditions.

special promotion Explore the latest scientific research on sleep and
dreams in this free online course from New Scientist -- Sign_up_now_>>> ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by American_Heart_Association. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Connie W. Tsao, Aaron W. Aday, Zaid I. Almarzooq, Alvaro Alonso,
Andrea
Z. Beaton, Marcio S. Bittencourt, Amelia K. Boehme, Alfred
E. Buxton, April P. Carson, Yvonne Commodore-Mensah, Mitchell
S.V. Elkind, Kelly R.

Evenson, Chete Eze-Nliam, Jane F. Ferguson, Giuliano Generoso,
Jennifer E. Ho, Rizwan Kalani, Sadiya S. Khan, Brett M. Kissela,
Kristen L.

Knutson, Deborah A. Levine, Tene' T. Lewis, Junxiu Liu, Matthew
Shane Loop, Jun Ma, Michael E. Mussolino, Sankar D. Navaneethan,
Amanda Marma Perak, Remy Poudel, Mary Rezk-Hanna, Gregory
A. Roth, Emily B. Schroeder, Svati H. Shah, Evan L. Thacker,
Lisa B. VanWagner, Salim S. Virani, Jenifer H. Voecks, Nae-Yuh
Wang, Kristine Yaffe, Seth S. Martin. Heart Disease and Stroke
Statistics--2022 Update: A Report From the American Heart
Association. Circulation, 2022; DOI: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000001052 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220126090523.htm

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