Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, constituting 60 percent to 80 percent of cases of that mind-altering condition. Dementia is defined as a gradual loss of memory and other cognitive abilities, so it’s thought of as primarily affecting the brain.

Though research has focused on how heart disease may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s, the two can overlap in ways that suggest dementia may, in fact, put a person at greater risk for cardiovascular problems as well.

Atherosclerosis — the buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries that causes not only heart disease but can also lead to a stroke — has long been seen as separate from Alzheimer’s, which is usually blamed on the buildup of amyloid proteins called plaques and tangles in the brain. But it’s now believed those protein deposits may also play a role in decreasing the blood supply to the brain.

And like the heart, the brain is a huge consumer of oxygen.

It’s now understood that people with congestive heart failure are at increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Though the reason is not fully known, it has been suggested that congestive heart failure — which signifies a weakened heart — results in a deficit of oxygenated blood going to the brain.

A study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology compared 22 patients with Alzheimer’s disease and 35 patients without it to analyze stiffness in their left ventricle, one of the lower chambers of the heart. The researchers discovered that the people with Alzheimer’s disease were more likely to have stiffness in their left ventricle — the heart’s primary pumping station.

This thickness resulted in the same kinds of amyloid plaques that build up in the brains of people suffering Alzheimer’s disease. If the ventricle becomes too stiff to pump blood properly, it causes higher risk of heart attack and stroke as well.

People diagnosed with Alzheimer’s should be sure that their doctor is aware of that diagnosis so that they can be monitored for possible stiffening of their left ventricle, which can lead to potential heart failure in the future.