Does Blood Pressure Instability Affect Memory and Thinking?

Fluctuating blood pressure in older adults may increase the risk of cognitive decline, especially in Black participants. Regular monitoring is key!

Cognitive and memory impairments are more common in older persons with blood pressure fluctuations. Black subjects in the study showed the relationship, but white participants did not.

The study just demonstrates a correlation; it does not establish that changes in blood pressure lead to cognitive limitations. The study was published in the journal Neurology ().

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Beyond the detrimental effects of high blood pressure, these findings imply that blood pressure fluctuations are a risk factor for cognitive issues. It may be possible to prevent or postpone cognitive problems by identifying individuals who may have this condition and working to alleviate it by routinely monitoring older adults' blood pressure and any changes over time.

Blood Pressure Fluctuations Harm Brain Function

The study involved 4,770 people with an average age of 71; 66% were Black participants, and the remaining were white participants.

Participants had blood pressure tests at the beginning of the study and then every three years for an average of 10 years. They also completed thinking and memory skills tests at the beginning and their last visit.

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Overall, the participants had an average blood pressure of 138/78 mmHg. High blood pressure is defined as 130/80 mmHg and higher.

Black participants in the study had an average variation over time in their systolic blood pressure, which is the top number, of 18 mmHg, compared to 16 mmHg for white participants.

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The participants were divided into three groups based on how much their blood pressure varied over time. For Black participants, those with the most variability in their blood pressure had lower scores on the cognitive tests than those with the least variability. The difference in scores was the equivalent of 2.8 years of cognitive aging.

For people taking blood pressure medications at the start of the study, there was no difference in scores on thinking tests at the end of the study among the groups with high and low blood pressure variation.

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“With our aging society and the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease, identifying prevention strategies to slow the decline of cognitive skills in older adults has become a public health priority,” Dhana said. “Managing blood pressure and its fluctuations is emerging as an essential risk factor that can be modified.”

A limitation of the study is that participants were Black and white people, so the results may not apply to people of other races.

Reference:

Blood Pressure Variability and Cognition in Black and White Older Adults Over 18 Years of Follow-up- (https:www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000210151)

Source-Eurekalert