Relationship between premature ventricular contractions and cognitive functions

Abstract

Objective: Arrhythmias impair cerebral blood flow. Cognitive impairment (CI) caused by cerebral hypoperfusion may be aggravated by premature ventricular contractions (PVCs). We aimed to study the relationship between PVC counts on 24-hour ambulatory ECG monitoring (Holter) and cognitive impairment. Methods: A total of 340 individuals, comprising 244 patients and 96 healthy controls were enrolled in the research. All patients had routine blood testing conducted. ECG was conducted. Each subject had a 24- hour Holter ECG performed. ECG parameters and Holter ECG were analyzed. The minimal mental state examination (mini-MSE) test was administered, a validated global cognitive evaluation for detecting CI. Results: The mean age of the study group was 44.84±12.89 years and the 44.56±13.58 years control group. There was no appreciable difference among the groups for hematological and biochemistry blood tests (p>0.05). There was a significant difference between the PVC frequency groups (minimal, occasional, and frequent) and the control group in terms of mini-MSE components (except copying, p=0.145) (p<0.001). There was a significant negative correlation between orientation, registration, attention and calculation, recall, and language from mini-MSE components and both ECG parameters and HRV (except RMSSD and LF/HF) (p<0.001). There was a substantial correlation between LF/HF and language (p<0.05). A significant negative correlation was between copying with QTcd and TpTe/QTc (r = -,139, p<0.05 and r = -150, p<0.001). In univariate and multivariate analysis, there was no statistically significant predictive factor of mini-MSE scores (p>0.05). Conclusion: This study revealed that global cognitive functions decreased as the frequency of PVC increased, especially in orientation and language scores of the mini-MSE.