Correlation between cognitive impairment and prognostic parameters in patients with congestive heart failure.
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.
Feola
Mauro
M
Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, Ospedale Santa Croce-ASL, Cuneo, Italy. m_feola@virgilio.it
Mauro
Feola
F
Rosso
Gian Luca
GL
Peano
Marco
M
Agostini
Marco
M
Aspromonte
Nadia
N
Carena
Giorgio
G
Salvatico
Luigi
L
Valle
Roberto
R
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
D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain