Hypertension and Dementia
A recent study illustrates the importance of keeping the body healthy, in order to preserve the mind. Participants all began the study dementia free, and were monitored for five years. The development of dementia in subjects with high blood pressure is made apparent.
"We show herein that the presence of hypertension predicts progression to dementia in a subgroup of about one-third of subjects with cognitive impairment, no dementia," wrote the researchers at the University of Western Ontario in Canada.
"Control of hypertension in this population could decrease by one-half the projected 50-percent five-year rate of progression to dementia."
The study findings are published in the February issue of the journal Archives of Neurology.
The findings may prove important for elderly people with cognitive impairment but no dementia, the study authors noted.
"Worldwide, neurologic disorders are the most frequent cause of disability-adjusted life years; among these, cerebrovascular disease is the most common risk factor, and dementia is the second most common. There is no preventive or therapeutic intervention to mitigate this public health burden," the researchers wrote.
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