Jul 29, 2014 10:49 AM EDT By J Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

People with dementia are more likely to get implanted pacemakers according to a recent study.

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found that dementia patients are more likely to get implanted pacemakers for heart rhythm irregularities, such as atrial fibrillation, than people who don't have cognitive difficulties.

For the study, researchers examined data from 33 Alzheimer Disease Centers entered between September 2005 and December 2011 into the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC) Uniform Data Set. They reviewed more than 16,000 people who had a baseline and at least one follow-up visit at an Alzheimer Disease Center.

At baseline, 48.5 percent of participants had no cognitive impairment, 21.3 percent had a mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 32.9 percent had dementia.

They found that participants with cognitive impairment were significantly older and more likely to be male, have ischemic heart disease, and a history of stroke. Rates of atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure were similar among the groups.

The likelihood of getting a pacemaker, a device that regulates the heartbeat, was lowest for those who had no cognitive difficulties and highest for dementia patients.

"Participants who had dementia before assessment for a new pacemaker were 1.6 times more likely to receive a pacemaker compared to participants without cognitive impairment, even after clinical factors were taken into account," researcher Nicole Fowler said in a statement. "This was a bit surprising because aggressive interventions might not be appropriate for this population, whose lives are limited by a severely disabling disease. Future research should explore how doctors, patients and families come to make the decision to get a pacemaker."

The research team said they found no difference among the groups in the rates of implantation of cardioverter defibrillators, which deliver a small shock to get the heart to start beating again if it suddenly stops.

The findings were recently published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

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