About twice as many older women develop dementia than do men, and research finds that women who have heart disease are more likely to develop cognitive and memory problems than those without it.

In particular, female heart attack survivors are more likely to see declines in their thinking and memory skills, according to the study, which was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Lead author Dr. Bernhard Haring of the Comprehensive Heart Failure Center at the University of Würzburg in Germany looked at data from a long-term study of more than 6,000 postmenopausal women ages 65 to 79. The researchers asked women if they had ever been diagnosed with heart problems. They also gave the women a test of brain function at the beginning of the study and then once every year.

None of the women had thinking or memory problems at the outset of the study. Close to 900 reported having heart disease. About eight years later, more than 400 women showed signs of cognitive decline or dementia. Women who said they had heart disease were 29 percent more likely to have cognitive problems than those who reported no heart disease. Women who’d had a heart attack were at the highest risk of developing cognition and memory trouble. Those with a history of bypass surgery or peripheral artery disease (PAD) — hardening of arteries that bring blood to the legs and feet — were also at greater risk, Dr. Haring said.

Regardless of whether they had heart disease, women with high blood pressure and diabetes were at higher risk of cognitive decline. However, women who suffered from irregular heartbeats or heart failure were not at a higher risk for cognitive decline.

This study is important because of the large number of women involved, and because it provides the opportunity to assess brain decline at an earlier point and try to prevent it, especially by making sure that high blood pressure and diabetes are managed.