High blood pressure is linked to several serious health conditions, such as heart attacks and stroke. Researchers now emphasize that using the right medications to control hypertension is crucial not only for preventing cardiovascular diseases, but also for reducing the risk of developing dementia.
Untreated hypertension is linked to a 42% higher risk of Alzheimer's disease in adults aged 60 or older, a study published in the journal Neurology revealed.
"High blood pressure is a leading cause of stroke and cerebrovascular disease, and yet it can be controlled with medication, reducing a person's risk of these diseases. Taking blood pressure medications has also been found in previous research to reduce a person's risk of dementias overall, but less is known about how blood pressure affects a person's risk of Alzheimer's disease. Our meta-analysis looked at older people and found that not treating blood pressure may indeed increase a person's risk," Dr. Matthew J. Lennon said in a news release.
To understand the link between untreated hypertension and Alzheimer's disease, researchers evaluated 31,250 people from around the world who were part of 14 studies that assessed participants' cognitive change and dementia diagnosis over time. The participants had an average age of 72 and followed up for an average of four years.
The researchers noted that 9% of the participants had untreated high blood pressure, 51% were on blood pressure medications, 36% did not have high blood pressure and 4% were classified as uncertain. After the follow-up period, 1,415 developed Alzheimer's disease.
People with untreated high blood pressure had a 36% increased risk of Alzheimer's disease compared to those without high blood pressure. They also had a 42% increased risk of Alzheimer's when compared to people with the condition who were taking blood pressure medications. The results were after adjusting for factors such as age, sex, and education.
"These results suggest that treating high blood pressure as a person ages continues to be a crucial factor in reducing their risk of Alzheimer's disease," said Dr. Lennon.
However, because the definition of high blood pressure varies around the world, there could be discrepancies in diagnosis that might have affected the study.
