Department of Neurology, University of Thessaly, University Hospital of Larissa, P.O. Box 1400, Larissa, Greece.
Cardiol Res Pract. 2012;2012:595821. doi: 10.1155/2012/595821. Epub 2012 Jun 6.
Cognitive impairment (CI) is increasingly recognized as a common adverse consequence of heart failure (HF). Although the exact mechanisms remain unclear, microembolism, chronic or intermittent cerebral hypoperfusion, and/or impaired cerebral vessel reactivity that lead to cerebral hypoxia and ischemic brain damage seem to underlie the development of CI in HF. Cognitive decline in HF is characterized by deficits in one or more cognition domains, including attention, memory, executive function, and psychomotor speed. These deficits may affect patients' decision-making capacity and interfere with their ability to comply with treatment requirements, recognize and self-manage disease worsening symptoms. CI may have fluctuations in severity over time, improve with effective HF treatment or progress to dementia. CI is independently associated with disability, mortality, and decreased quality of life of HF patients. It is essential therefore for health professionals in their routine evaluations of HF patients to become familiar with assessment of cognitive performance using standardized screening instruments. Future studies should focus on elucidating the mechanisms that underlie CI in HF and establishing preventive strategies and treatment approaches.
认知障碍（CI）日益被认为是心力衰竭（HF）的常见不良后果。尽管确切的机制仍不清楚，但导致脑缺氧和缺血性脑损伤的微栓塞、慢性或间歇性脑灌注不足和/或脑血管反应性受损似乎是 HF 中 CI 发展的基础。HF 中的认知衰退表现为一个或多个认知领域的缺陷，包括注意力、记忆、执行功能和心理运动速度。这些缺陷可能会影响患者的决策能力，并干扰他们遵守治疗要求、识别和自我管理疾病恶化症状的能力。CI 的严重程度可能会随时间波动，随着有效的 HF 治疗而改善或进展为痴呆。CI 与 HF 患者的残疾、死亡率和生活质量下降独立相关。因此，医疗保健专业人员在对 HF 患者进行常规评估时，务必熟悉使用标准化筛查工具评估认知表现。未来的研究应侧重于阐明 HF 中 CI 的潜在机制，并制定预防策略和治疗方法。
