Study Reveals Cognitive Impairment Increases the Risk of Stroke

Researchers noticed that people with cognitive impairment are at a higher risk of having a stroke as compared to those with normal cognitive functions.

Worldwide, stroke is listed as the second leading cause of death. Several researches have highlighted the link between stroke and development of cognitive impairment, but whether the reverse of it is true is not known. Studies that have attempted to prove the link between cognitive impairment and stroke have been inconsistent.

In the United States, stroke is known to be the leading cause of disability and occurs when the supply of blood is cut from parts of the brain. This temporary loss of blood in the brain triggers serious physical and mental disabilities.

The latest study led by a researchers in United States, Taiwan and South Korea found that cognitive impairment ups the risk of stroke by almost 39 percent. They based their finding by analyzing the data retrieved from 18 studies that included 121, 879 people who had cognitive impairment. Out of these, 7799 people reported having a stroke later.   

"We found that the risk of future stroke was 39% higher among patients with cognitive impairment at baseline than among those with normal cognitive function at baseline," write the authors. "This risk increased to 64% when a broadly adopted definition of cognitive impairment was used."

Atherosclerosis, blockage of blood vessels, inflammation and other vascular conditions are linked with an elevated risk of stroke and cognitive impairment and may eventually lead to an increased risk.

"Cognitive impairment should be more broadly recognized as a possible early clinical manifestation of cerebral infarction, so that timely management of vascular risk factors can be instituted to potentially prevent future stroke events and to avoid further deterioration of cognitive health," conclude the authors.

A study conducted earlier by the American Heart Association showed that cognitive abilities like memory and attention is not just crucial after stroke, but also before as drop in memory and cognitive decline increases the risk of stroke in adults over the age of 65 years.

The finding was documented in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.