(Paul McClure/ New Atlas) — A new study has found that people over 60 with untreated high blood pressure have a greatly increased risk of developing dementia compared to those who take blood pressure medication. The findings suggest that maintaining treatment for high blood pressure throughout later life is important for dementia prevention.
The link between hypertension, or high blood pressure, and dementia has been known for years. For those in midlife, studies have found that hypertension can increase the risk of all-cause dementia by around 60%. But for people in later life, study results haven’t been consistent, finding either no association or that hypertension reduces the risk of dementia.
So, researchers from the University of New South Wales, La Trobe University, the George Institute for Global Health and the Australian National University conducted a meta-analysis of 17 studies to ascertain whether blood pressure and treatment for hypertension in those over 60 are associated with dementia risk. (…)