Dementia risk signals could lie in simple blood pressure readings, researchers say

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Simple measurements taken during routineblood pressure checkscould predict dementia risk years before symptoms appear.

That’s according to new research presented this week at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session in Louisiana.

The findings draw on two studies led by researchers at Georgetown University, which suggest that monitoring how blood vessels age and stiffen over time can provide a window into futurecognitive health.

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Data shows rates of dementia and aging-related cognitive decline are expected to increase as populations age, and half of U.S.adults have high blood pressure (hypertension).

Scientists believe that efforts to better address hypertension, a key contributor toheart diseaseand a risk factor for dementia, could affect both cardiac and brain health.

Healthcare professional listening to elderly woman

Data shows rates of dementia and aging-related cognitive decline are expected to increase as populations age.Meanwhile, half of U.S.adults have high blood pressure.(iStock)

“Blood pressure management isn’t just about preventing heart attacksand strokes;it may also be one of the most actionable strategies for preserving cognitive health,” Dr.Newton Nyirenda, the study’s lead author and an epidemiologist at Georgetown University in Washington, said in a press release.

The research focused on two metrics, the pulse pressure-heart rate index and estimated pulse wave velocity.Both were calculated using data collected during standarddoctor visits, such as heart rate, age and blood pressure.

“Blood pressure management isn’t just about preventing heart attacks and strokes;it may also be one of the most actionable strategies for preserving cognitive health.”

Researchers examined five years of data patterns for more than 8,500 people in the SPRINT trial, a large study of adults 50 years and older with hypertension.In the follow-up, 323 of the participants developed probable dementia.

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In one study, the team found the pulse pressure-heart rate index was a strong independent predictor of dementia risk in adults over 50.For participants under 65, every one-unit increase was associated with a 76% higher risk of developing dementia.

Vital signs monitor displaying heart rate and EKG readings in hospital ICU

For participants under 65, an increase in the pulse pressure-heart rate index was associated with a 76% higher risk of developing dementia.(iStock)

The second study found that adults with consistently elevated or rapidly increasing pulse wave velocity were more likely to develop dementia than those with stable velocity, even after accounting for factors like smoking, gender and cardiovascular history.

meaningful insightinto future dementia risk,” said Nyirenda.“This reinforces the idea that managing vascular health earlier in life may influence long-term brain health.”

Healthcare professional measuring blood pressure on a patient

Further studies are needed to confirm these parameters and determine whether changing vascular aging trajectories reduces dementia risk.(iStock)

“You don’t want to wait until a patient starts manifesting cognitive decline before you act,” said senior study author Sula Mazimba, an associate professor at the University of Virginia.

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Researchers noted the study could not establish causation.Other limitations included the fact that participants alreadyhad hypertensionand elevated cardiovascular risk, meaning the findings may not apply to people without those conditions.

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Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and to determine whether improving blood vessel health over time could reduce dementia risk.

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