According to the study, hypotension prevents mental deterioration

Lowering blood pressure more than is usually recommended, not only prevents heart problems, but also reduces the risk of mental deterioration that often leads to Alzheimer's disease, according to a major study. It clearly shows that a single measure helps prevent a dreaded evil that leads people to solve crosswords, consume dietary supplements and try all kinds of things to maintain their mental acuity.

In the study, people with a treatment that reduces the pressure to 120 instead of 140 showed a 19% decrease in the odds of suffering from mild cognitive impairment. They also showed fewer signs of brain damage and there was a possible trend towards fewer cases of dementia.

"It's a breakthrough," said Dr. Jeff Williamson of the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina. "It's more important than ever to consult the doctor to keep blood pressure under control."

Williamson led the study and presented the results Wednesday at the International Conference of the Alzheimer's Association in Chicago. The publication is planned for the coming months.

Independent experts celebrated the news.

"We have known for a long time that hypertension is bad for the heart.Now we know that it is harmful to the brain," said James Hendrix, director of global scientific initiatives at the University of Michigan. Alzheimer Association

About 50 million people worldwide suffer from dementia, the most common type of which is Alzheimer's disease. There is no cure, drugs like Aricept and Namenda are only palliative, so prevention is crucial.

It is considered that there is hypertension when the high pressure exceeds 130, instead of 140 as it was said until last year. Normal blood pressure is less than 120.

Hypertension can damage blood vessels and has long been associated with a higher risk of dementia. But it was not known whether lowering the pressure would reduce this risk or to what extent. The study, conducted with federal funds, sought to answer them in the most rigorous way.

More than 9,300 hypertensive individuals participated in the study. Half were treated with two drugs to reduce high blood pressure to less than 140. The rest received three drugs, targeting 120.

The study was discontinued in 2015, almost two years ago. When it became clear that lowering the pressure helped prevent heart problems and death. But cognitive tests continued for another two years, and these are the results released Wednesday.

The researchers found that the risk of mild cognitive impairment was 19% lower in the intensive group: 285 compared to 348 in the hypertensive group. Half of those with mild cognitive impairment will have dementia in the five years later.