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Memory Failing? You May Be at Higher Risk for Stroke

An aging adult with a failing memory, regardless of whether they have been diagnosed with dementia, appears to put that person at high risk of suffering a stroke, according to a newly released medical study.

“Stroke is a leading cause of disability and death among older people, making early identification of people at high risk of stroke extremely important, so preventative measures can be taken,” said study author Dr. Bernice Wiberg, of Uppsala University in Sweden. Wiberg’s research is described in the journal Neurology.

For the study, 930 men in Sweden around the age of 70, without a history of stroke, participated in three mental tests. The first test, called the Trail Making Test A, measures attention and visual-motor abilities. The second, the Trail Making Test B, measures the ability to execute and modify a plan. The third, the Mini Mental State Examination, is commonly used by doctors to measure cognitive decline.

During a 13-year period, 166 men experienced a stroke or transient ischemic attack, or TIA. Brain infarction is the most common cause of stroke, and happened to 105 of the patients, causing tissue damage when the proper amount of blood does not reach the brain. Hemorrhage is another kind of stroke.

The study found that people who were among the bottom 25% of performers on the Trail Making Test B were three times more likely to have a stroke or a brain infarction compared to those who scored among the top 25% of performers on the test. The other two mental tests did not predict brain infarction or stroke.

“Our results support the idea that cognitive decline, regardless of whether a person has dementia may predict risk of stroke,” said Wiberg. “The Trail Making Test B is a simple and cost-effective test that, with more research, could be used to identify those persons for whom stroke prevention measures should be considered.”

The study was supported by the Medical Faculty at Uppsala University, the Swedish Stroke Association, Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Heart Lung Foundation, the Geriatric Fund and the Uppsala County Association Against Heart and Lung Diseases.

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