Health

Heart conditions tied to worsening Alzheimer's

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Nov. 26, 2007

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In patients who already have a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, some cardiovascular conditions can increase the rate of memory loss and functional decline, according to a study in the Nov. 6 Neurology. Patients with high blood pressure, angina and atrial fibrillation experienced a more rapid rate of deterioration than those without these conditions.

Researchers interviewed a population-based sample of 135 patients with Alzheimer's over a three-year period. The authors suggest that medical treatments targeting these conditions could be a way of slowing this disease.

"The good news is that vascular factors can be modified, so these results may suggest strategies for slowing the progression of Alzheimer's," said Michelle Mielke, PhD, lead author and assistant professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2007/11/26/hlbf1126.htm.

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