People aged 60 and older with untreated high blood pressure may have an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease compared to both people who have been or are being treated for high blood pressure and people without the chronic condition. The new research, a meta-analysis, was published in the August 14, 2024 online issue Neurology®the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. These results do not prove that untreated high blood pressure causes Alzheimer’s disease, they only show a connection.
High blood pressure is a leading cause of stroke and cerebrovascular disease, yet it can be controlled with medications, reducing the risk of these diseases. Previous research has also found that taking blood pressure medications reduces the risk of dementia overall, but less is known about how blood pressure affects the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Our meta-analysis looked at older people and found that not treating blood pressure can indeed increase a person’s risk.”
Matthew J. Lennon, MD, PhD, author from University of New South Wales, Australia
For the meta-analysis, researchers looked at 31,250 people with an average age of 72 who participated in 14 studies that measured cognitive changes and dementia diagnosis over time. Participants came 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.
For each participant, researchers looked at blood pressure measurements, high blood pressure diagnosis and the use of blood pressure medication. They found that 9% had untreated high blood pressure, 51% were taking blood pressure medications, 36% did not have high blood pressure and 4% were classified as unsure.
After adjusting for factors such as age, gender and education, researchers found that people with untreated high blood pressure had a 36% increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease compared to people without high blood pressure, and a 42% increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease compared to people with high blood pressure. the condition taking blood pressure medications.
“Our meta-analysis, which involved people from around the world, found that taking blood pressure medications was associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease in later life,” said Lennon. “These results suggest that treating high blood pressure as a person ages remains a critical factor in reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.”
A limitation of the meta-analysis was that definitions for hypertension varied by location, which could lead to potential discrepancies in diagnosis.
The meta-analysis was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council in Australia and the US National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health.
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Magazine reference:
Lennon, M.J. et al. (2024) Blood pressure, use of antihypertensive medications and risk of dementia later in life in Alzheimer’s and non-Alzheimer’s. Neurology. doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000209715.