Understanding reported cognitive dysfunction in older adults with cardiovascular disease

John Gunstad¹, Ronald A Cohen², Robert H Paul², David F Tate², Karin F Hoth², Athena Poppas³

¹Department of Psychology, Kent State University, Kent OH, USA; ²Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, ³Department of Cardiology, Brown Medical School, Providence RI, USA

Abstract: Older adults with cardiovascular disease (CVD) often report experiencing significant cognitive dysfunction in everyday life and exhibit deficits on neuropsychological testing. However, the relationship between subjective and objective cognitive dysfunction is inconsistent across studies and requires closer examination. Participants included 84 older adults with documented CVD and no history of neurological or severe psychiatric disorder. All participants underwent echocardiogram and neuropsychological assessment and completed self-report measures of perceived cognitive dysfunction, depression, and health-related quality of life. Results showed that concerns regarding distractibility and sustained attention were most common. Level of reported cognitive dysfunction was significantly related to depressive symptoms, quality of life, and performance on multiple cognitive tests. Exploratory regression analyses showed that depressive symptoms, physical health-related quality of life, and speeded sustained attention predicted reports of cognitive dysfunction, whereas demographic variables, cardiac output, and other cognitive tests did not. Should they be replicated, these findings suggest that reports of cognitive dysfunction in older adults with CVD largely reflect depressive symptoms and reduced quality of life.

Keywords: cardiovascular disease, cognition, quality of life, depression