Atrial fibrillation patients have increased risk for dementia

This ECG reading shows a normal heartbeat at the top and AF at the bottom.

New research has found that atrial fibrillation (AF) – an irregular and often abnormally fast heartbeat – appears to be linked to an increased risk of dementia, even in people who have not suffered a stroke.

Led by researchers at Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea, the new large-scale study looked at 262,611 people aged 60 or over, who were free of AF and dementia in 2004. The participants were then followed until the end of 2013.