(Dis)connected:
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The link between stroke and dementia is not new. But what about a heart attack? New research says it’s possible. That’s just one finding from new Heart & Stroke research that connects heart conditions, stroke and vascular cognitive impairment (dementia being the most severe form). These connections are so deep and complex that having one condition puts you at risk for others.
A new reality for health care
Everything is connected
Our hearts and brains are deeply connected but our healthcare system simply isn’t designed to treat the entire person. These complex links put increased pressure and demand on healthcare providers. All this at a time when hospitalizations are on the rise:
Trends in hospitalization over the past decade in Canada
Source Data: Heart & Stroke’s analysis of data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information’s Discharge Abstract Database for 2007-2017
Data from Quebec, Yukon and Nunavut were not available in this data.
What’s needed is a streamlined, integrated system, applying a wholistic approach to meet patients’ needs and simplify their experience. Healthcare providers work tirelessly in a system that isn’t properly resourced.
Patrice Lindsay
Heart & Stroke’s director of systems change and stroke program
Connected solutions
If you have a heart condition, stroke or vascular cognitive impairment, use these tips when working with your doctor about related conditions.
What can you do?
What is Heart & Stroke doing?
Support Heart & Stroke research
Dr. Thais Coutinho
Vascular researcher
Dr. Eric Smith
Donate
Get the full report
The link between stroke and dementia is not new. What’s most surprising: If you have a heart condition, you also have an increased risk of dementia.
All roads can lead to dementia
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Try our interactive
Data Hub
The Vascular Health Program in rural Renfrew County in Ontario combines clinics for cardiac arrest, heart function, stroke and diabetes management.
A working model: Pembroke Regional Hospital
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Dr. Debbie Timpson explains why the
PRH model is working.
Dr. Debbie Timpson
Specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation, and the chief of rehabilitation at the Pembroke Regional Hospital
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How unseen links are putting us at risk
Everything is connected
2019 Report on Heart, Stroke and
Vascular Cognitive Impairment
Women need to be strong. If you get dismissed, you need to go back to the hospital or back to the doctor.
Cheryl MacKenzie
Had mild stroke at age 22, a second at 37 and a heart attack at 48
When I was living in Victoria but still seeing a heart failure team in Vancouver on an alternating basis, I insisted that my cardiologist in Victoria be part of any consultation or rounds that involved my case.
Jillianne Code
Diagnosed with heart failure at 28; two heart transplants by age 42
We recognized the overlap between risk factors for these conditions and at the same time we had to accommodate our limited resources, so we created a vascular clinic.
Blood vessel discovery could save lives
Uncovering covert strokes to stop dementia
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Practise smart prevention with these healthy lifestyle choices.
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Become part of a community of peers to share and learn from each other.
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A key role for Heart & Stroke is to be a catalyst for change. We are calling on health providers and system leaders to join us in taking action.
Increase awareness of the connections – among the public and the full range of healthcare providers who work with people living with these conditions.
Invest renewed energy around prevention programs – promoting, enabling and adopting healthy lifestyle habits.
Work with healthcare providers and system leaders to create a streamlined health system model that efficiently works with people who have multiple vascular conditions.
Continue to provide knowledge, support and guidance for people living with heart conditions, stroke and vascular cognitive impairment.
Continue to fund research to deepen our understanding of the complexity of the vascular system and the connections between its conditions.
We've found a new way to predict the course of this potentially deadly disease — one that is more often fatal for women.
Stroke researcher
My research is aimed at identifying the extent to which covert strokes predict problems with memory and thinking, or the risk of large strokes — or dementia.
Cheryl MacKenzie had two strokes and a heart attack by the time she turned 48. Her experience is why the heart/brain connection must not be ignored.
Here’s what that means:
For women, those connections raise the risks even higher.
All roads can lead to dementia.
Women are at greater risk than men
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It's time to stop women dying unnecessarily.
Women with heart failure have a 25% higher risk of Afib
45% more women die from stroke
Women with heart valve disease have a 50% higher risk of Afib
12% more women died of heart conditions,
stroke or vascular cognitive impairment
2/3 of heart disease and stroke clinical research focuses on men
Help close the research gap
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A new reality for health care
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Connected solutions
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Cheryl's story
If you have
You are at risk for
Atrial Fibrillation
Heart Failure
Stroke
(e.g. dementia)
Congenital
Heart Disease
Heart Valve Disease
Myocardial Infarction
(Heart Attack)
Coronary Artery & Vascular Disease
Cardiac Arrest
Hover your mouse over the boxes.
Vascular
Cognitive Impairment
