Hypertension, or hypertension, is known to directly affect heart attack and stroke risk, but new research has revealed a surprising link to brain health.
In a large, randomized trial, researchers led by First Hospital at China Medical University found that “intensive blood pressure control” reduces the risk of dementia by 15% among participants and the risk of cognitive impairment by 16%.
The study found that 33,995 people from rural China, ages 40 and older, had “uncontrolled hypertension.”
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Participants were divided into two groups. One was assigned to a “trained non-physician community health care provider” who received “normal care” and the other was assigned to a “titrated antihypertensive medication.”
Hypertension, or hypertension, is known to directly affect heart attack and stroke risk, but new research has revealed a surprising link to brain health. (istock)
According to the Nature Medicine findings, in the latter group, the medication helped achieve systolic and diastolic blood pressure targets of less than 130 mm hg of 80 mm Hg.
“The main outcomes of all-causal dementia were significantly lower in the intervention group than in the usual care group,” the researchers wrote.
They were also less likely to experience “serious adverse events.”
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This is one of the first large, randomized, controlled efficacy trials to show “a significant reduction in all-causal dementia with lower blood pressure,” the researchers concluded.
The study had several limitations and this article was accepted, including a lack of baseline and follow-up cognitive ratings.
“The main outcomes of all-causal dementia were significantly lower in the intervention group than in the usual care group,” the researchers wrote. (istock)
Dr. Bradley Serwer, Bitalsolution’s cardiologist and chief medical officer, said he is the chief medical officer of Bitalsolution, a Cincinnati-based company that provides cardiovascular and anesthesia services to hospitals around the country, and said the study presents an “interesting approach” to dealing with dementia in individuals with uncontrolled hypertension.
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“Unlike studies conducted in the US, this study employed non-pathologists to significantly reduce blood pressure in rural China through a ‘cluster’ blinding method,” Serwer, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.
It is beneficial to identify the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease dementia within the community, including baseline cognitive assessments of patients. (istock)
“This study may be subject to scrutiny, but it raises appropriate questions: How important is it to correct cardiovascular risk factors in the development of dementia?”
Serwer noted that the major drugs used to lower blood pressure in the study were calcium channel blockers and angiotensin receptor blockers.
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“These commonly prescribed drugs are independently associated with a reduced risk of dementia, regardless of the magnitude of blood pressure reduction they have achieved,” he said.
“This increases the likelihood that the observed low rate of dementia is due not only to blood pressure reductions, but also to other beneficial effects of the drug.”
It was one of the first large, randomized, controlled efficacy trials to demonstrate “a significant reduction in all-causal dementia with lower blood pressure,” the researchers said. (istock)
To confirm the findings, Selwer said it would be beneficial to identify the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease dementia within the community, including baseline cognitive assessments of patients.
“The most important point from this study is that it’s extremely important to address blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking and sedentary lifestyles,” the cardiologist said.
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“By prioritizing these factors, we not only aim to prevent heart attacks and strokes, but we also strive to improve the overall quality of life.”
This study was supported by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, the Chinese Association of Cardiology Associations, and the National Key Research and Development Programme of Science and Technology Programmes.
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Fox News Digital has requested the researchers for comment.
