- Blood pressure variability in midlife be linked to an increased risk of dementia for people in their 90s.
- There is no consensus on whether and how to treat blood pressure variability.
- During a person’s 60s, 70s, and 80s, high blood pressure is still a health risk factor.
Blood pressure variability rate for people in their 90s may be linked to an increased rate of dementia, according to a
In conjunction with researchers at Radboud University in the Netherlands, scientists at Kaiser Permanente Washington wanted to determine if blood pressure variability in midlife could be linked to an increased risk of dementia in later life.
The researchers analyzed 820 participants 65 to 90 years old. The participants underwent a medical assessment at the start of the trial, including a cognitive screening, and every 2 years after that.
All participants were 65 or over at the beginning of the trial, were community dwellers, and did not have dementia.
The data on participants was from the Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) study, an ongoing population-based study in the United States.
The researchers reported that the blood pressure variability rate was not associated with a higher lifetime dementia risk at 60, 70, or 80 years. However, for those in their 90s, the variability rate was associated with 35% higher dementia risk.
They added that high blood pressure is still a health risk factor for people 60 to 90 years old.
“The study shows that blood pressure variability as measured over annual visits spanning three decades was associated with risk of dementia in individuals who lived to be 90 years or older,” Dr. S Ahmad Sajjadi, a neurologist at UCI Health in California who was not in involved in the research, told Medical News Today. “Interestingly, the relationship between high systolic blood pressure and dementias reversed for younger…
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