title: Correlation between cognitive impairment and prognostic parameters in patients with congestive heart failure.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cognitive impairment has been observed in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). We analyzed in-hospital CHF patients with neuropsychological tests attempting to correlate the results with prognostic parameters.
  
  
  METHODS
  All subjects underwent a mini-mental state examination (MMSE), memory and learning tests (Corsi Block-tapping test, Verbal Span test, Prose Memory test, Visual Search), anxiety and depression scale test. New York Hospital Association (NYHA) class, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty patients (mean age 65.5 years) were analyzed. NYHA class was 2.9 +/- 0.9, LVEF was 32.9 +/- 13.7%, BNP plasma level 683.3 +/- 864.3 pg/mL. In 23.3% of cases a pathological MMSE score emerged; memory and learning test results were abnormal in 3.4-37%. A positive correlation between MMSE and age (r = 0.18, p = 0.01), BNP (r = 0.25, p = 0.02) was observed but not between MMSE and years of education, NYHA class and LVEF. The Corsi Block-tapping test was related to educational duration (r = 0.12, p = 0.02) with a positive trend for BNP (r = 0.2, p = 0.07). The Prose Memory test and Visual Search were influenced by the patients' educational level (r = 0.36, p = 0.0001; r = 0.27, p = 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CHF patients manifest an impairment of MMSE and memory and learning test performance. In our population MMSE correlates to plasma BNP and advanced age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, Ospedale Santa Croce-ASL, Cuneo, Italy. m_feola@virgilio.it
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Feola
authors.forename: Feola
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mauro
authors.forename: Gian Luca
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Rosso
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peano
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Agostini
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aspromonte
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Carena
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Salvatico
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Valle
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000097:blood; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain