Intensive blood pressure lowering helped reduce the risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), according to a substudy from the SPRINT trial presented last week at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Chicago.
Older adults treated to a systolic blood pressure target of below 120 mm Hg rather than below 140 mm Hg were 19 percent less likely to develop MCI, a precursor for dementia.
“It’s really more important to prevent MCI than dementia in some ways. It’s like preventing high cholesterol rather than a heart attack,” researcher Jeff Williamson, MD, MHS, of Wake Forest School of Medicine, told the Associated Press.
MRI scans of 454 participants also showed there were fewer white matter lesions among patients treated to the lower blood pressure target. SPRINT generated some controversy over the way blood pressure was measured in the trial, but an outside expert told the AP the new substudy adds to the growing body of evidence linking cardiovascular disease and neurological problems.
“We have long known that high blood pressure is bad for your heart,” said James Hendrix, PhD, director of global science initiatives at the Alzheimer’s Association. “Now we’re also learning it’s bad for your brain.”
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Daniel joined TriMed’s Chicago editorial team in 2017 as a Cardiovascular Business writer. He previously worked as a writer for daily newspapers in North Dakota and Indiana.