High Blood Pressure May Elevate Dementia Risk

The American Heart Association (AHA) warns that high blood pressure (hypertension)—especially during middle age—may open the door to dementia. While the precise mechanism is not yet known, researchers speculate that hypertension damages blood vessels in the brain, impairing its ability to control blood flow, which is essential for normal brain function. Researcher Dr. Costantino Iadecola comments, “People with high blood pressure tend to have more dementia… Although scientifically we don’t have evidence, treating blood pressure is going to be important. It not only saves the brain, but also the heart and the kidney. So in the absence of evidence, the best thing to do is to control blood pressure.” Hypertension, October 2016