Cardiovascular disease is a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels, thought to affect around 650 million people worldwide. A common result of cardiovascular disease is myocardial infarction, better known as a heart attack .
In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that about 805,000 people have a heart attack each year, of which one in five are “silent,” or undiagnosed at the time. Now, a study has suggested that any type of heart attack, even a silent one, increases a person’s risk of cognitive decline over time.
Speaking to Medical News Today , Cheng-Han Chen , MD, a board-certified interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, CA, explained that: “It is not entirely understood why a history of myocardial infarction is associated with faster cognitive decline.
Medical News Today published a clinical update in Research Highlights on 20 May 2026.
The item focuses on Even 'silent' heart attacks could speed up cognitive decline.
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