High BP increases risk of mental decline

People suffering from high blood pressure are at a higher risk of developing mental decline as compared to those who don't. High blood pressure is defined as a blood pressure reading at or above 140/90 mm/Hg. Normal blood pressure is anything below 120/80 mm/Hg. The first number, or systolic reading, reflects the blood pressure when the heart is contracting; the second number, or diastolic reading, reflects blood pressure when the heart relaxes between contractions. It is believed that people with a history of hypertension are at an increased risk of developing mild cognitive impairment, a condition that involves difficulties with thinking and learning. To assess the relation between hypertension and mental decline, researchers at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons examined 918 Medicare recipients age 65 and older without mild cognitive impairment beginning in 1992 through 1994. Roughly two-thirds of them had high blood pressure. The results showed that high BP appeared to raise the risk of non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment by 70 percent. It was found that 334 study subjects developed mild cognitive impairment, including 160 cases of 'amnestic' mild cognitive impairment, which involves low scores on memory portions of brain function tests, and 174 cases of non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment. High BP was associated with a 40 percent increased risk of all types of mild cognitive impairment that was mostly driven by an increased risk of non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment. Thus, preventing and treating hypertension could help in lowering the risk of cognitive impairment.