Those over the age of 60 years old with uncontrolled high blood pressure (hypertension) may have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) compared to those who have been or are being treated for high blood pressure as well as those without the chronic condition. However, according to the meta-analysis published in Neurology, the findings do not prove that untreated high blood pressure causes the debilitating brain-wasting disease, rather the findings only show an association.
“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 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.”
The study
The study involved 31,250 participants with an average age of 72 years old who were enrolled in 14 studies measuring cognitive changes and dementia diagnosis over time. Participants were internationally located in Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Korea, Nigeria, the Republic of Congo, Spain, Sweden, and the United States. The researchers followed the participants for an average of 4 years, during which time 1,415 participants developed Alzheimer’s disease.
Results
Blood pressure measurements, high blood pressure diagnosis, and the use of blood pressure medication were examined for each participant. The analysis revealed that 9% of the participants 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 taking a range of potential influencing factors into consideration, the researchers found that those with untreated high blood pressure had a 36% increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease when compared to those without high blood pressure, and a 42% increased risk of Alzheimer’s when compared to those with the condition who were taking blood pressure medications.
“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.”
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References/Sources/Materials provided by:
https://www.aan.com/PressRoom/Home/PressRelease/5192
http://dx.doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000209715
https://worldhealth.net/news/uncontrolled-hypertension-this-silent-killer-is-thriving/
