Hypertension ‘raises dementia risk by 45pc’

SLIGHTLY raised blood pressure in middle age could increase the risk of dementia by up to 45 per cent.

Research has shown that among 9,000 civil servants studied, 50-yearolds with blood pressure readings of more than 130/80 had a much greater chance of developing the disease.

Around seven million Britons whose blood pressure exceeds 140/90 are normally prescribed medication. NHS watchdogs are considering bringing the threshold down in line with the US advice of 130/80. If this change were made, half of Britain’s adult population would be eligible for such drugs.

The study, published in the European Heart Journal, suggests that such levels at mid-life are enough to increase dementia risk significantly. Those with systolic blood pressure of 130mmhg or more at the age of 50 had a 45 per cent greater risk of dementia.

Researchers said the danger appeared to stem from the amount of time people suffered from high blood pressure, with raised levels aged 50 meaning people were exposed to risks for far longer than if levels went up in their 60s or 70s.

High blood pressure has been linked to mini strokes, damage to the white matter in the brain, and restricted blood supply to the brain.

The research by the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research in Paris and University College London tracked participants who were aged between 35 and 55 in 1985 for 32 years. Archana Singh-manoux, an honorary professor at UCL, who led the research, said: “Our work confirms the detrimental effects of mid-life hypertension for risk of dementia. It also suggests that at age 50, the risk may increase in people who have raised levels of systolic blood pressure below the threshold used to treat hypertension.”

The average age at which the study participants developed dementia was 75. Researchers stressed that the research was observational.