Lowering blood pressure aggressively may reduce dementia risk

blood pressure management and a reduced risk of dementia. A study involving nearly 34,000 individuals with hypertension in rural China demonstrated that intensive treatment aimed at achieving blood pressure levels below 130/80 mmHg resulted in a 15% reduction in dementia risk and a 16% decrease in mild cognitive impairment over four years . This finding underscores the potential of antihypertensive medications not only to regulate blood pressure but also to provide neuroprotective benefits against cognitive decline.

China once again illuminated the role of “village doctors,” the local term for community health workers, who outdid usual care. 

“This is an incredibly important study,” Dan Jones, a past president of the American Heart Association, told STAT. He was not involved in the new research. “Here’s something tangible that now we can tell our patients. This is so important for motivating people to control their blood pressure, and treating it intensively as well.” 

Concerns about hypertension start when a person’s systolic pressure exceeds 130 millimetres of mercury (mmHg) or diastolic pressure goes over 80 mmHg – that is, blood pressure higher than 130/80.

On average, people who received many medications had dropped their blood pressure from 157.0/87.9 down to 127.6/72.6 mmHg, while the control group managed to take it from 155.4/87.2 down just slightly to 147.7/81.0 mmHg.

dementia diagnosis during the study, and 16 per cent fewer had cognitive impairment.

While the team noted that the cognitive function of participants was not assessed at the start of the study, they said the similarity of participants in the two groups means this is unlikely to skew the findings.

However, Prof Joanna Wardlaw, of the University of Edinburgh, who was not involved in the work, said the study could not unpick the relative contribution of optimal blood-pressure control and lifestyle changes on the reduction in dementia risk, suggesting the results reflected a combined effect.

Others said similar research should now be carried out with longer follow-up periods, and added that the approach also needed to be trialled in other countries.

Moreover, the incorporation of multiple antihypertensive agents combined with lifestyle coaching proved effective in mitigating dementia risk . These findings contribute to a growing body of evidence advocating for proactive measures in managing hypertension as a means to enhance overall brain health. As such, aggressive blood pressure reduction may represent an essential strategy for preventing dementia-related conditions among high-risk populations.

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Sarah H

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