According to a new study, there may be a link to atrial fibrillation and its association with an increased risk of patients suffering from dementia.

In a study conducted by the scientists at the Group Health Research Institute and their collaborators, a-fib increases a patient’s chances of developing dementia. This study was recently published online in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.Sascha Dublin, MD, PhD, and assistant investigator for the Group Health Research Institute, says, “Both atrial fibrillation and dementia increase with age. Before our prospective cohort study, we knew that atrial fibrillation can cause stroke, which can lead to dementia. Now we’ve learned that atrial fibrillation may increase dementia risk in other, more subtle ways as well.”

Dr. Dublin’s study results suggest that there may be a link between a-fib and dementia that is more than just the connection with strokes. When the study first began, the patients being studied were around 74 years old. At the time, none of them had dementia or a history of stroke. The study started out with 4.3 percent having atrial fibrillation, but throughout the study, another 12.2 percent developed the condition and another 18.8 percent developed some form of dementia. Those people who had atrial fibrillation were shown to be “more likely to have other cardiovascular risk factors and disease than were those without the condition.” This forced the researchers to check for a-fib links to dementia risks by association.

Atrial fibrillation is a condition that causes irregular heartbeats in patients. One popular method of treating temporary a-fib is Multaq, made by Sanofi-Aventis. Multaq has been proven to cause liver failure for many patients. Recently, research conducted in a PALLAS study has shown that Multaq should not be used in treating permanent a-fib and the study was stopped as the drug was shown to cause deaths and heart complications in patients.

If you are suffering from liver failure as a result of taking Multaq, contact attorney Greg Jones today for a free consultation. I am experienced at fighting drug injury lawsuits and may be able to help you recover money for your injuries.