Neurology

Is there a link between uncontrolled hypertension and dementia?

August 16, 2024

Antihypertensive medication use was linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) but did not affect the risk of other dementias in later life. This highlights the importance of managing hypertension to reduce AD risk as one ages. While a single blood pressure reading wasn’t connected to AD risk, diastolic blood pressure (DBP) might have a U-shaped relationship with the risk of other dementias over extended periods in late life.

• This analysis incorporated 14 community-based longitudinal studies of aging (N = 31,250; 41% male; mean age, 72 years) that included participants from the Cohort Studies of Memory in an International Consortium (COSMIC) group. The main outcomes were risk of developing AD and non-AD. The main exposures were hypertension history, antihypertensive use, and blood pressure measurements.
• Participants with untreated hypertension had a 36% and 42% increased risk of AD compared with “healthy controls” and those with treated hypertension, respectively. Compared with “healthy controls” both those with treated and untreated hypertension had greater non-AD risk, but there was no difference between the treated and untreated groups.
• There were no significant associations between baseline systolic blood pressure or DBP in late life with AD or non-AD.

Source:

Lennon MJ, et al; as the Cohort Studies of Memory in an International Consortium (COSMIC) Group. (2024, September 10). Neurology. Blood Pressure, Antihypertensive Use, and Late-Life Alzheimer and Non-Alzheimer Dementia Risk: An Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39141884/