A groundbreaking study recently published in the journal Nature Medicine reveals that treating high blood pressure may significantly lower the risk of dementia and cognitive impairment. The study was led by Jiang He, professor of epidemiology, internal medicine, and neurology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. It sheds light on the compelling need to control hypertension in promotion not only cardiovascular health but cognitive vitality.
Hypertension affects an estimated 1.28 billion adults around the world. It happens when the pressure required to pump blood through your arteries is higher than normal. Being the fifth greatest risk factor of mortality globally, it represents a major public health threat such as heart diseases and stroke. In addition to the physical impact on health, hypertension creates significant financial and emotional stress on patients, caregivers, and society at large.
The study didn’t just look at that relationship in a broad sense. Participants were randomly assigned into one of two intervention groups. These contrasts indeed indicate the large success the intervention group attained over a 48-month period. Their systolic blood pressure decreased by 22 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure was down 9 mmHg as opposed to the control group. In fact, a remarkable 68% of participants within the intervention group reached control targets of <130/80 mmHg. In contrast, just 15% of participants in the usual care group achieved these levels.
Jiang He’s research indicates that good control of hypertension can reduce the risk of all-cause dementia by 15%. Its ability to lower the risk of cognitive impairment is impressive at 16%. These key findings underscore the critical need to control blood pressure. It’s important not only for your short-term health, but for your long-term cognitive health.
Chen is an ABIM board-certified interventional cardiologist. As the medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, California, he encouraged participants to consider how these findings should inform public health approaches. The significance of this research “This study provides yet more evidence to the accumulating research that poor cardiovascular health is associated with worse cognitive outcomes,” he observed. Reducing hypertension must be a priority in clinical practice and in public health efforts, especially considering the latest data.
The findings from this research have important implications for how healthcare professionals develop treatment regimens for patients with hypertension. By making blood pressure control a primary focus, health care providers can play a significant role in reducing future risk of cognitive decline.
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