Lowering blood pressure could reduce risk of mild cognitive impairment – Study
NEW RESEARCH presented at this year’s Alzheimer’s Association International Conference ( AAIC) has found that lowering systolic blood pressure could significantly reduce the risk of mild cognitive impairment ( MCI), and a combination of MCI and dementia.
Carried out by researchers at Wake Forest School of Medicine, USA, the new study looked at data taken from the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial ( SPRINT) to examine whether lowering blood pressure could reduce the risk of developing dementia and/or MCI.
SPRINT is a randomised clinical trial that compared two strategies for managing high blood pressure ( hypertension) in older adults – one, an intensive strategy with a systolic blood pressure goal of less than 120 mm Hg, and the other, a standard care strategy with a systolic blood pressure goal of less than 140 mm Hg.
The study included 9,361 older adults with high blood pressure and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but without diagnosed diabetes, dementia or prior stroke.
The participants were seen monthly for the first three months and every three months thereafter with a median followup of 3.26 years. During this time they were given medications to lower blood pressure to one of the two targets, but also encouraged to make healthy lifestyle adjustments.
The preliminary results showed for the first time ever that aggressively lowering high blood pressure, which is one of the leading causes of cardiovascular disease worldwide, could also reduce the risk of dementia and cognitive decline.
More specifically, the researchers found that intensively lowering blood pressure reduced the new cases of MCI in this group by 19 per cent, a statistically significant number.
In addition, the rate of MCI plus probable all- cause dementia was 15 per cent lower in the intensive group compared to the standard treatment group.
However, the reduction in dementia alone was not significant.
“This study shows more conclusively than ever before that there are things you can do – especially regarding cardiovascular disease risk factors to reduce your risk of MCI and dementia,” said Maria C. Carrillo, Ph.D., Alzheimer’s Association Chief Science Officer. “To reduce new cases of MCI and dementia globally we must do everything we can – as professionals and individuals - - to reduce blood pressure to the levels indicated in this study, which we know is beneficial to cardiovascular risk.”
Carrillo added that the findings come after recent data also showed reductions in new cases of dementia in developed Western cultures, which may be a result of improved control of cardiovascular disease risk factors through medication, reduced rates of smoking, and greater awareness of healthy lifestyle.
“The future of reducing MCI and dementia could be in treating the whole person with a combination of drugs and modifiable risk factor interventions – as we do now in heart disease,” Carrillo suggested.
The AAIC 2018 took places July 22-26 in Chicago, USA. — Relaxnews