Lowering blood
pressure to 120 reduces risk of developing mild cognitive impairment, a common
precursor to Alzheimer’s, study says.
Jan. 28, 2019, 3:14 PM
CST
By Shamard Charles, M.D.
Drastically
lowering blood pressure may help protect memory and thinking skills later in
life, researchers reported Monday — the first hopeful sign that it's possible
to lower rates of mental decline.
The
large blood pressure study looked at more than 9,000 people over the age of 50
years old found that those who lowered their blood pressure to 120 — the top
number, or systolic blood pressure — were 19 percent less likely to develop
mild cognitive impairment, the loss of memory and brain processing power that usually
precedes Alzheimer’s disease. The results of the study, called Systolic Blood
Pressure Intervention Trial, or SPRINT, were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
It has
long been known that aggressively lowering blood pressure can benefit those at
high risk for heart disease, but this is the first time that the intervention
has been shown to also help brain health.
"It
offers genuine, concrete hope," said Maria C. Carrillo, chief science
officer of the Alzheimer's Association in a statement Monday. "Mild
cognitive impairment is a known risk factor for dementia, and everyone who
experiences dementia passes through MCI."
Preliminary
findings also showed that participants were 17 percent less likely to develop
dementia, but the results were not statistically significant because the study
was cut short, so a definitive conclusion could not be made.
Because
the results have been so promising, the Alzheimer's Association announced that
it will award more than $800,000 to support a follow-up trial which will extend
follow-up for an additional two years to further investigate the impact of the
treatment on reducing risk of dementia.
"The
Alzheimer's Association is committed to getting the answers about treating and
preventing Alzheimer's and other dementias," said Carrillo.
EARLIEST FORM OF DEMENTIA
High
blood pressure is a leading risk factor for heart disease, stroke and kidney
failure and a growing body of research suggests it may increase risk for
dementia. Last year, U.S. blood pressure guidelines were changed from 140 to
130.
“Whether
you are taking BP meds or not, if your BP is above 130 systolic — the top
number — you should talk to your doctor about lowering your blood pressure,”
said Dr. Jeff Williamson, lead author of the study and gerontologist at Wake
Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
“MCI is
simply the earliest form of dementia,” Williamson added. “For anyone whose
blood pressure is over 130 or looking to potentially prevent losing memory or
thinking skills this is something you can do.”
Alzheimer’s
disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. Nearly 6
million Americans have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, including 200,000 under
the age of 65. By 2050, experts predict that this number will rise to nearly 14
million, according to the Alzheimer’s association.
There’s
no cure, and while there have been indications that a healthy lifestyle can
lower the risk, no controlled trial comparing people given a treatment with
people not given the treatment has been able to show a reduction in cases of
either cognitive decline or dementia.
Still
it’s too soon to say that lowering blood pressure can prevent Alzheimer’s and
some doctors caution against making blanket changes in patient management based
off of these results alone.
Related
“In
very old people, we know that lowering blood pressure aggressively may not be
good because they have rust in the pipes and they need the pressure,” said Dr.
Ronald Petersen, director of the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer's Disease Research
Center and the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, who was not involved in the study.
“What
you don’t want people to do is double their blood pressure medicine tomorrow.
They need to have a discussion with their primary care physician so they can
get their blood pressure down in a controlled way.”
Dr. Shamard Charles
is a physician-journalist for NBC News and Today, reporting on health policy,
public health initiatives, diversity in medicine, and new developments in
health care research and medical treatments.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/aging/lowering-blood-pressure-may-help-cut-risk-early-dementia-study-n963606
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