"Untreated Hypertension Increases Alzheimer's Disease Risk by Up to 42%"
Aug 16, 2024
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According to the New York Post, a research team at the University of New South Wales in Australia published the results of a study on the link between untreated high blood pressure and increased risk of Alzheimer's disease in adults over 60 in the online edition of Neurology, a medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
The research team followed up 31,250 people in 14 countries for cognitive change and dementia diagnosis. Their average age was 72 years, and 1415 of the patients studied were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
The research team analyzed the blood pressure, hypertension diagnosis, and drug use of all subjects. 36% had no hypertension, 51% were on blood pressure medication, and 9% had untreated hypertension.
According to the study, untreated hypertension patients had a 36% increased risk of Alzheimer's disease compared to those without hypertension and a 42% increased risk of Alzheimer's disease compared to those who treated hypertension with drugs.
In addition, more signs and characteristics of Alzheimer's disease were observed in the brains of people with high blood pressure than those with close to normal blood pressure.
However, the researchers emphasized that the results of this study do not prove that untreated high blood pressure causes Alzheimer's disease, but only show a connection.
Dr Matthew J. Lennon, author of the study at the University of New South Wales, found that taking blood pressure medications was associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease in older adultsThe results suggest that treating hypertension with age is an important factor in reducing the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
The findings support previous studies suggesting that high blood pressure in the elderly can damage the brain.
Dr. Lennon added that `the limitation of this study is that the definition of hypertension varies from country to country.'
Meanwhile, the findings are drawing attention following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recent decision to approve two drugs that have been shown to moderately slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease.
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