Features of the intelligence structure in adults with ischemic heart disease

Abstract

Older age is associated with declining cognitive abilities, but higher-order intellectual abilities change is more debated. This study aims at analysing the intelligence structure of adults with ischemic heart disease. To achieve this goal a cross-sectional study was conducted. One hundred and eighteen patients from the Cardiology Department completed the short version of the Intelligence Structure Test I-S-T 2000 R and provided information on sociodemographic indicators. A comparative analysis of the results revealed that the intellectual abilities of older patients (51-70-year-olds) were lower than those of younger ones (41-50-year-olds), and the abilities of adults with the disease were lower than adults of the same age in the general population. Only the ability to perform mathematical operations with numbers stands out as a strength of the intellectual profile of younger adults, whereas the intellectual profile of older adults is considerably less stable. If verbal ability (the capacity to understand the meaning of words) is a strength, while figural ability (the capacity to understand patterns expressed in figures and part-to-whole relationships) is a weakness, then mathematical abilities are unstable: the ability to perform mathematical operations is a strength, whereas the ability to understand patterns expressed in numbers is a weakness. This result is related to the intelligence structure of older patients with ischemic heart disease consisting of two components, namely, verbal-numerical, and figural intelligence. Future research should control more secondary variables to reduce their impact on outcomes, compare the intelligence structure of persons with different education and/or level of abilities making smaller age-range groups.