Heart disease 'raises the risk of dementia', new study claims

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Those who suffer from angina or heart attacks are more likely to develop dementia in old age, a study shows.

Scientists say coronary heart disease patients tend to do worse at memory and mental tests than those free from the disease.

The risk is greatest for men who have been living with heart problems for at least ten years, according to the study in the European Heart Journal.

Researchers who examined more than 5,800 British civil servants are unsure why the conditions are linked.

They don't know whether heart disease causes dementia - or whether both conditions are the result of risk factors such as smoking, bad diet, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

But Dr Archana Singh-Manoux, who led the team at University College London, said that switching to a healthier lifestyle can reduce the risk of both problems.

A spokesman for the British Heart Foundation added: 'If we aim to treat vascular disease in all its forms, there could be greater benefits to our health other than reducing the number of heart attacks and strokes.'