Symptom 14. Mental Confusion: The Disorienting Result of Aortic Stenosis
Navigating through life with clarity and focus can be a formidable challenge when the fog of mental confusion descends. When aortic stenosis is in play, it’s akin to navigating through a maze blindfolded. Suddenly, the familiar can seem foreign and the everyday tasks might appear complex and overwhelming.
In the universe of aortic stenosis, mental confusion isn’t a chance occurrence. The narrowing of the aortic valve reduces the blood flow to the entire body, and the brain, an organ with a high demand for blood supply, is inevitably affected. As the brain doesn’t receive its usual quota of oxygen-rich blood, cognitive disturbances, such as mental confusion, may begin to surface.
This might be experienced as difficulty in thinking clearly, or an inability to focus. It could be forgetting something that was easily remembered a while ago, or feeling disoriented in familiar environments. Essentially, your brain, bereft of its usual lifeblood supply, struggles to perform its functions optimally.
However, these cognitive challenges are not a sign of your mental faculties declining. They are a part of the bewildering ensemble of symptoms that aortic stenosis may present. It’s as if aortic stenosis casts a shadow over your mental landscape, transforming the well-lit streets of cognition into a labyrinth of confusion.(14)
