The risk of Alzheimer's may increase along with high blood pressure, according to a new study.
Published in the medical journal Neurology, the research found that people aged 60 or older who have untreated high blood pressure may be more likely to develop the common type of dementia.
While the findings do not prove that untreated high blood pressure causes the disease, they do show an association, the American Academy of Neurology said in a news release.
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Study author Dr. Matthew J. Lennon of the University of New South Wales in Australia wrote in a statement that high blood pressure is a “leading cause of stroke and cerebrovascular disease, yet it can be controlled with medication, reducing a person's risk of developing these diseases.”
The study found that people aged 60 or older with untreated high blood pressure may be at higher risk for Alzheimer's. (iStock)
While previous research has found that taking blood pressure medications may reduce the risk of dementia, Lennon said less is known about the condition's impact on Alzheimer's risk.
“Our meta-analysis looked at older people and found that not treating blood pressure can actually increase a person's risk,” he said.
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The researchers looked at 31,250 people with an average age of 72 who participated in studies that measured cognitive change and dementia diagnosis over time, according to the release.
After four years, 1,415 of those individuals developed Alzheimer's disease.
A doctor points to possible evidence of Alzheimer's disease detected on a PET scan at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston on March 30, 2023. (Agency/Brian Snyder/File photo)
People with untreated high blood pressure had a 36 percent higher risk of Alzheimer's compared with those without the disease, the study found.
They had a 42% higher risk compared to those with high blood pressure who were taking blood pressure medications.
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“These results suggest that treating high blood pressure as a person ages remains a crucial factor in reducing the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease,” he added.
The researchers also found that there were no significant risk differences in the effects of blood pressure or medication use between different sexes or racial groups.
“This is a very promising result as it suggests that optimal care for one group will be similar for others,” Lennon said.
“Treating high blood pressure as a person ages remains a crucial factor in reducing the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.”
Alzheimer's involves “neuroinflammation and plaque formation that interferes with neuronal communication,” said Siegel, who was not involved in the study.
The doctor added that “high blood pressure can accelerate this development by interfering with the supply of oxygen and blood to nerve cells in the brain in some areas, especially the frontal lobe, which is affected.
Dr. Elizabeth Landsverk, a geriatric physician and author in California, was not involved in the study but said she was not surprised by the findings.
“This new study also finds a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease (amyloid proteins that are deposited in the brain) among those treated for hypertension.”
Possible limitations of the study
The researchers used data from 14 different longitudinal studies from around the world, Lennon noted, meaning there may be some variability in how they define dementia and high blood pressure.
“These results suggest that treating high blood pressure as a person ages remains a crucial factor in reducing the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease,” said one study researcher. (iStock)
Factors such as socioeconomic status, health literacy, access to medications, poorly controlled medical conditions, and depression and other mental illnesses could also confound the association between hypertensive status and dementia risk, Lennon added.
“Because the study is conducted over a long period of time, any number of external variables can skew the results, making them less reliable,” Landsverk said.
High blood pressure is extremely common, affecting two-thirds of people over the age of 65 and around 1.3 billion people worldwide, Lennon said.
“In the vast majority of cases, it is clinically asymptomatic and causes no symptoms until a heart attack, stroke or, as we have now shown, dementia occurs,” Lennon said.
Hypertension is extremely common, affecting two-thirds of people over the age of 65 and around 1.3 billion people worldwide. (iStock)
Only 28% of those with high blood pressure have it under adequate control, he noted.
“While you may not feel the consequences of high blood pressure right away, it's very important to monitor it closely and keep it under control if you want to maximize your chances of living a longer, happier and healthier life,” Lennon added.
For those who are obese, Landsverk added, losing weight is the quickest way to reduce risk factors.
“Overall, the healthiest approach is to adopt a plant-based diet and exercise 30 minutes each day to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, dementia and now Alzheimer's disease by up to 40%,” she advised.
