Abstract

Background: Cognitive impairment may decrease functional status and quality of life. Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) may lead to cognitive impairment.

Aim: To compare the levels of cognitive function between ACS patients with and without ST elevation (STE-ACS vs NSTE-ACS).

Method: This was an observational cross-sectional study using consecutive sampling method. There were 107 subjects that consist of 63 subjects with STE-ACS and 44 subjects with NSTE-ACS at ages ranging from 25-70 years. All subjects were examined for their cognitive function using MoCA-Ina score with blinding for their diagnosis. Statistical test were performed using Mann-Whitney test and non-parametric Spearman correlation test. p<0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

Results: There was lower MoCA-Ina score in patients with STE-ACS compared to those with NSTE-ACS (20.8 ± 3.19 vs 23.1 ± 2.47, respectively, p=0.000). There were higher levels of CKMB [66 (21 – 292) vs 22 (10 – 132) U/L, p=0.000], and troponin [2.6 (0.01 – 22.22) vs 0.04 (0.01 – 8.21) μg/dL, p=0.000] in patients with STE-ACS compared to those with NSTE-ACS. There were significant negative correlations between CKMB (r= -0.438, p=0.000) and troponin (r= -0.341, p=0.000) with MoCA-Ina score.

Conclusion: There was a lower level of cognitive function in patients with STE-ACS compared to those with NSTE-ACS. Acute intensive managements might be needed to prevent declined cognitive function in ACS.

Keywords: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS), STE-ACS, NSTE-ACS, cognitive function, MoCA-Ina score