A-Fib Treatment Reduces Patients' Dementia Risk

A study in the European Heart Journal found the catheter ablation procedure to restore normal heart rhythm is more effective than drugs in reducing dementia risk in people with atrial fibrillation (AF), reports WebMD . The researchers examined data on patients in South Korea diagnosed with AF between 2005 and 2015, including more than 9,100 who underwent catheter ablation and nearly 18,000 treated with medications. Over a year-long follow-up, catheter ablation lowered dementia incidence by 27 percent compared to medication. "The proportion of people who developed dementia during the follow-up period was 6 percent in the ablation group and 9 percent in the medical therapy group," explained Yonsei University Professor Boyoung Joung. "This suggests that three people per 100 of the atrial fibrillation population avoid dementia if they undergo catheter ablation, and 34 patients would need to be treated to prevent one case of dementia during the follow-up period." Ablation also was associated with a 23 percent reduced incidence of Alzheimer's compared to medications, and a 50 percent reduction in vascular dementia.