Old age can bring with it a host of mental and physical issues, including heart conditions and cognitive problems such as dementia and memory troubles.

The older you get, the greater your risk is for atrial fibrillation. With these irregular heartbeats, the body and brain may not get enough blood, and this may affect your ability to think.

Blood thinners are a mixed blessing for patients. On one hand, they can prevent strokes. But on the other, they can cause serious bleeding during surgery.

Many people who have implantable defibrillators to treat their irregular heartbeats are advised to take it easy when it comes to sports, but this recommendation may be overly cautious.

While digoxin helps the heart beat stronger, its safety has been debated. One study found the medication to be linked to higher mortality, but re-analysis of the data found no such connection.

The average price for a day in the hospital can be close to $4,000. So anything that can safely reduce hospital days would be welcome by both patients and insurers.

Most people down energy drinks if they want an extra boost. Yet that extra energy boost may translate into small boosts in blood pressure too.

People with abnormal heart rhythms are at a higher risk of getting blood clots, which can cause a stroke. A blood-thinning medication may help. But some questions remain if these medications cause the bleeding.

Heart disease has been linked to risk for dementia. But it is not clear which types of dementia are related to heart problems.

African Americans have a greater risk of hypertension and diabetes. But for unknown reasons, they are less likely to have an irregular heart beat.