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For the first time in history, researchers have found drugs that can reduce the risk of memory loss and dementia during your golden years. Even better, most forms of treatment are available in safe and inexpensive generic formulations. These drugs have been around for decades because they are widely used to lower blood pressure and prevent heart disease.
As the population ages, the incidence of cognitive impairment and dementia has increased. One in six women over the age of 55 and 10% of men should develop dementia before dying. Alzheimer's disease, the most common type, affects more than 5 million Americans and is the sixth leading cause of death in the country. And while the pharmaceutical industry has spent billions of dollars trying to slow down memory loss once it started, efforts have been largely unsuccessful. Until now.
The Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial, or Sprint, began in 2010 to see if an aggressive drop in blood pressure would reduce a range of complications, including heart disease and dementia. . The heart disease part was stopped five years later because the benefits were overwhelming. The researchers continued to track the cognitive function of 9,361 participants in a separate badysis called Sprint Mind until June.
Results presented at the International Conference of Alzheimer's in Chicago showed that susceptible to develop mild cognitive impairment than those with more relaxed hypertension goals. The risk of developing cognitive impairment or dementia was 15% lower, while dementia rates alone were not significantly different in the study.
"What's good for your heart is not only good for your heart, but also good for your brain," said Jeff Williamson, senior researcher and head of gerontology and geriatric medicine at the Wake Forest School of Medicine.
The researchers were not specific about the drug regimen used by patients, as long as they achieved their goals. Intensive treatment subjects were expected to have a blood pressure below 120 mmHg, while those in the standard treatment group were expected to have 140 mmHg.
Williamson compared the results to the car tires: "You want to have the right pressure," he said. "If the tires are too high or too low, they can be used quickly: if the blood pressure is too high, the walls of the arteries can be damaged. "
The results will allow people to act in their lives said James Hendrix, director of global scientific initiatives at Alzheimer's & # 39; 39; s Association. Many people are not at the recommended blood pressure, he said, and evidence that better control helps the heart and brain to push them to action. [19659002] "People can do all the right things and develop dementia. give them more time, "he said." He can give another five or ten years with a healthy brain. "
The Washington Post Function
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