Brain Fitness for Life

Can Reducing Hypertension Also Reduce the Risk of cognitive decline?

The ill effects of hypertension (high blood pressure) have been well documented by the medical community. If you suffer from high blood pressure, there is a good chance you might also suffer from:

• Pulsating headaches
• Retinopathy or related eye damage and vision impairments
• Nausea and vomiting
• Chest pain and/or an abnormal heart beat

If left untreated hypertension can eventually lead to kidney failure, heart failure, stroke, or even death. Hypertension has also been purported to negatively affect cognition. As such, this fall the U.S. National Institutes of Health plans to enroll participants in a study to find out if reducing hypertension can reduce the risk of age-related cognitive decline.

The SPRINT study (Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial) plans on following 7,500 participants aged 55 and over, all of whom have systolic blood pressure* of 130 mm Hg or higher, for a minimum of four years. The study will segment and study the participants based on their respective blood pressure measurements (over time) to see if lowering blood pressure indeed helps reduce cognitive decline.

The current clinical recommendation for systolic pressure is a measurement of under 140 for healthy adults (it varies for some diseased populations). The study, in part, would like to determine if this recommendation should actually be set lower.

Why is this research so important? As we discussed in our previous blog article, Alzheimer’s Disease 2010 Facts & Figures, Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia are at an all time high and still on the rise. It is important that researchers do all that they can to assist the aging population identify ways of helping themselves ward off these types of cognitive ailments.

The SPRINT study hopes to uncover whether treating hypertension pharmaceutically will have a positive affect on cognitive decline. If you would like to learn more about the SPRINT study and/or are interested in being part of the trial, more information can be found here.

* – Systolic blood pressure is the quantity of vein pressure that blood wields on vessels while the heart is actively pumping blood. When you read your blood pressure measurement (such as 140/80), systolic blood pressure is the number on the top. If either number (systolic or diastolic, the number on the bottom) is too high, a person is said to have high blood pressure. If you would like to learn more about blood pressure, click here.