Are people who suffer from high blood pressure at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease? New research published in Neurology, the American Academy of Neurology medical journal suggests that it might. However, the scientists said that the results of their study do not prove that untreated high blood pressure causes Alzheimer’s disease, they only show an association.
For the meta-analysis, researchers looked at 31,250 people with an average age of 72 who were enrolled in 14 studies that measured cognitive change and dementia diagnosis over time. Participants were from Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Korea, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Spain, Sweden and the United States. Participants were followed for an average of four years and 1,415 developed Alzheimer’s disease.
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For each participant, researchers looked at blood pressure measurements, high blood pressure diagnosis and the use of blood pressure medication. They found 9% had untreated high blood pressure, 51% were taking blood pressure medications, 36% did not have high blood pressure and 4% were noted as uncertain.
After adjusting for factors such as age, sex and education, researchers found people with untreated high blood pressure had 36% increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease when compared to people without high blood pressure, and a 42% increased risk of Alzheimer’s when compared to people with the condition who were taking blood pressure medications.
“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,” said study author Matthew J. Lennon, MD, PhD, of the University of New South Wales in Australia. “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.”
“Our meta-analysis that included people from around the world found that taking blood pressure medications was associated with decreased risk of Alzheimer’s disease throughout later life,” said Lennon. “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.”
Vascular dementia is the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease. It occurs when reduced blood flow deprives brain cells of essential oxygen and nutrients, leading to cognitive decline. While Alzheimer’s disease can also impact brain blood flow, increasing dementia risk, research into whether lowering blood pressure prevents vascular dementia has yielded inconclusive results.
High blood pressure is more prevalent in Black individuals and is linked to an increased risk of dementia across ethnicities. Research indicates that effectively managing high blood pressure can potentially preserve cognitive function and lower the risk of dementia compared to untreated cases.
