Özlem Totuk, Hasan Can Güdek, Şevki Şahin
Journal of Health Sciences and Medicine - 2025;8(6):1023-1029
Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of atrial fibrillation (AF) on cognitive function and neuroradiological markers in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods: A total of 800 patients were screened at the Dementia Outpatient Clinic of Sancaktepe Şehit Prof. Dr. İlhan Varank Training and Research Hospital. Thirty-three AD patients with confirmed AF were included, alongside 31 age-, sex, and education-matched AD patients without AF as controls. Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), while mood symptoms were evaluated with the Geriatric Anxiety Scale and the Geriatric Depression Scale. Brain MRI scans were analyzed using Fazekas, Medial Temporal Atrophy (MTA), and Koedam scores. Due to the modest sample size, this study is best interpreted as exploratory in nature. Results: After six months, the AF-positive group exhibited a significant decline in MMSE scores, whereas the AF-negative group showed no significant change. Koedam scores were significantly higher in the AF-positive group, indicating more advanced cortical atrophy. Regression analysis revealed that AF had a borderline significant negative impact on cognitive performance after adjusting for baseline MMSE scores. Conclusion: AF may accelerate cognitive decline and is associated with greater cortical atrophy in patients with AD. These findings suggest that close cognitive monitoring and individualized care strategies may be beneficial in this population, though further research is needed to confirm this.
