Antihypertensive Treatment Helps to Lower Dementia Risk

Antihypertension treatment is associated with lower risk of dementia and cognitive impairment, according to the results of a recent study.

It is unclear whether lowering of blood pressure can help to prevent dementia and cognitive impairment, according to the study authors.

For this reason, they conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of data from 14 randomized clinical trials including 96,158 participants. The mean systolic baseline blood pressure was 154 (14.9) mm Hg and the mean diastolic blood pressure was 83.3 (9.9) mm Hg.

Overall, treatment with antihypertensive agents was significantly associated with a reduction in the risk of dementia or cognitive impairment (7.0% vs 7.5% of patients over a mean trial follow-up of 4.1 years; odds ratio [OR], 0.93 [95% CI, 0.88-0.98]; absolute risk reduction, 0.39% [95% CI, 0.09%-0.68%]; I2 = 0.0%) and cognitive decline (8 trials) (20.2% vs 21.1% of participants over a mean trial follow-up of 4.1 years; OR, 0.93 [95% CI, 0.88-0.99]; absolute risk reduction, 0.71% [95% CI, 0.19%-1.2%]; I2 = 36.1%), compared with controls.

“These findings have the potential to inform public health strategies to reduce the burden of dementia globally. Effective screening for and management of hypertension is essential for reducing premature dependence from dementia. Although the lower risk associated with blood pressure treatment is modest for an individual, the effect at a population level, given the incidence of dementia in an aging population, may be considerable,” they concluded.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Hughes D, Judge C, Murphy R, et al. Association of blood pressure lowering with incident dementia or cognitive impairment: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Published online May 19, 2020. JAMA. 2020;323(19):1934-1944. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.4249