MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT AND CARDIOMETABOLIC RISK FACTORS IN BOSNIAN AND HERZEGOVINIAN PATIENTS WITH HEART FAILURE.

The aim of the present study was to assess mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRF) in Bosnian and Herzegovinian patients with heart failure (HF). This study included 80 patients with HF and 40 healthy controls. Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) testing was used to evaluate cognitive function. Abdominal obesity was assessed by waist circumference, and hypertension was assessed by the auscultatory method. Data on other CMRF and comorbidities, such as diabetes, smoking, alcohol consumption, and atrial fibrillation (AF), were gathered with a specially designed questionnaire. Lipids, C-reactive protein (CRP), and fibrinogen were assessed with standard laboratory methods. Student, Mann-Whitney, and Chi-square tests were used to determine significant differences between groups. Associations between categorical variables and correlation coefficients were assessed by the Chi-square and Spearman test, respectively. The prevalence of MCI in patients with HF was 77.5%. We found significant associations between MCI and diabetes, hypertension, AF, and smoking in patients with HF. We found no significant associations between MCI, abdominal obesity, and alcohol consumption. A significant positive correlation between MCI and total cholesterol was observed in patients with HF. Furthermore, a lower MoCA score was associated with higher values of CRP and fibrinogen in HF patients. The present study showed a high prevalence of MCI in Bosnian and Herzegovinian HF patients as well as its association with various CMRFs. These results suggest it is necessary to begin MCI screening in HF patients, especially since data from the literature point to improvement in cognitive performance with appropriate HF and concomitant CMRF treatment.