Long-Term Blood Pressure Control May Reduce Dementia Risk!

As nations’ population’s age, the prevalence of dementia rises, creating a significant social and financial burden. Symptoms that interfere with day-to-day functioning such as memory loss, reasoning difficulties, and social difficulties are considered dementia.

Does Hypertension Affect Dementia?

Our risk of acquiring Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia is significantly increased by hypertension since it has been demonstrated to harm the microscopic blood vessels in the regions of your brain that are involved in cognition and memory.

Although there isn’t one particular illness that causes dementia, many illnesses can. Unquestionably, hypertension is the vascular risk factor (VRF) that is most closely linked to cerebrovascular disease, regardless of age. It is simple to understand how hypertension affects blood vessels and causes vascular dementia.

Aging does not naturally cause dementia. When a disease affects the brain, it happens. Additionally, it is a progressive illness. This indicates that the ailment will eventually reduce a person’s life because its symptoms worsen over time.

Memory loss is a common symptom of dementia, but it can have many different causes. One of the worst effects of getting older is mental impairment. However, while many elderly people have some alterations in memory as they age, the majority of men who are healthy continue to perform at high levels.

Following a comparison of MRI scans from thousands of individuals without and with high blood pressure at various ages, the researchers found that overall brain volume was less in individuals with high blood pressure.

How Does Cognitive Decline Lead To Dementia?

Cognitive decline and dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, have been linked to hypertension, especially midlife high blood pressure. Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a neurodegenerative condition, and vascular dementia are the two primary etiologies of dementia (VD).

When small brain veins become ill or clogged, the brain’s brain cells are deprived of the oxygen and glucose they require, which leads to multi-infarct dementia. Memory loss occurs if the process causes enough nerve cells to be injured or died.

The hypothesis that both etiologies are connected and that most people have mixed dementia has received some support in recent decades. 

The early cognitive decline that eventually leads to it and stroke appears to be predisposed to hypertension over a period of time that can range from a few months to several years.

Recent research suggests that the longer blood pressure is kept under control, the lower the likelihood that a person would develop dementia. Science has established that persistent, low-grade inflammation can become a silent killer that aggravates type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, etc. 

On the other hand, in very elderly or feeble people, studies have linked low blood pressure with worse cognitive function. For sustaining cognitive function, especially in senior people, it is unknown what the appropriate systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels are.

Dementia and cognitive impairment have been linked to hypertension, particularly high blood pressure in midlife. These connections, however, are complicated and still need more explanation. One of the most significant reasons emerges as cerebral small vessel disease.

Numerous observational studies have demonstrated the potential value of antihypertensive therapy in delaying cognitive aging. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have, however, produced contentious findings that neither support nor refute the association. 

Your heart, lungs, and blood circulation will all benefit from aerobic exercise, which is also helpful for your brain. Exercising regularly is one of the best strategies to lower your risk of dementia. You’ll benefit from it in terms of your heart, blood flow, weight, and mental health.

How Can You Lower The Risk Of Dementia?

Consuming a nutritious, balanced diet may lower your risk of dementia as well as other diseases like type 2 diabetes, obesity, stroke, and heart disease.

Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) is characterized by the development of small protein clumps termed Lewy bodies inside brain cells, which lead to the death of those cells.

While DLB shares many of Alzheimer’s disease’s symptoms, it can also induce hallucinations and delusions in its early stages, as well as varying degrees of attentiveness and sleep issues. Similar to Parkinson’s disease, DLB affects a lot of people and causes mobility issues.

Blood vessels in the brain, heart, and lungs, as well as the blood vessels in other parts of the body, are particularly vulnerable to damage from smoking habits. Smokers have a substantially higher chance of developing dementia in later life.

By participating in mental or social activities, you may be able to strengthen your brain’s resistance to illness, reduce stress, and elevate your mood. Thus, engaging in these activities may aid in delaying the onset of dementia or possibly preventing it altogether.