Cognitive Alterations in Elderly Patients with Heart Failure’

Abstract

With the increasing size of the elderly population worldwide, the concern about the quality of life in the face of aging has been a continual subject of study. [1][2][3] Among the most prevalent pathologies in the elderly, cardiovascular and neurological diseases stand out the most, with Heart Failure (HF) being the number one cause of hospitalizations, morbidity, and mortality, amongst other cardiovascular diseases. 4 It is well-known that HF, described as a progressive disease caused by heart muscle damage, is commonly associated with physical alterations, functional loss, and even emotional alterations, which contribute to the diminishing of one's quality of life. 5 More recently, however, the understanding of the cognitive changes caused by this pathology has been the main focus of study. The etiology of the cognitive changes in cardiovascular diseases (HF among them) remains unknown, however, the majority of studies confer two