High blood pressure threatens the aging brain

By Maureen Salamon

HealthDay Reporter

Wednesday, July 11, 2018 (HealthDay News) – Here is yet another reason to control your blood pressure: High blood pressure later in life can contribute to blocking blood vessels According to recent research, nearly 1,300 older people have been screened until death, and scientists have discovered significantly higher risks of one or more brain injuries in people with systolic blood pressure high.

These lesions have been dominated by so-called "infarcts" – areas of dead tissue caused by blood blockages that can trigger stroke.

Normal blood pressure is defined as 120/80 mm / Hg or less. The upper number is known as systolic blood pressure (pressure in the vessels during heart beats), while the lower number is diastolic blood pressure (pressure between beats).

The American College of Cardiology recommendations, defining high blood pressure as 130/80 mm / Hg or higher.

"We have known for several decades that a higher blood pressure, especially younger in life, is linked to stroke, and wanted to examine the issue of blood pressure later in life" , said study author Dr. Zoe Arvanitakis, who is the medical director of the Rush Memory Clinic in Chicago

"I think this information is of great value to researchers who study brain changes in aging, "she added," and certainly highlights the need for much more research. fact. "

Arvanitakis and his team followed around 1300 people until their death, which occurred at an average age of nearly 89. Two-thirds of the participants, who were mostly women, had a history of high blood pressure.The researchers learned that 48% of patients had suffered one or more lesions of cerebral infarction using post-mortem autopsy results of participants The risk of injury was higher in people with higher mean systolic blood pressure over the years

For example, in a person with an average systolic blood pressure of 147 mm / Hg versus 134 mm / Hg, the probabilities of brain damage increased by 46 per cent Researchers also observed an increased risk of brain damage in patients with high diastolic blood pressure

Looking for signs of Alzheimer's disease in autopsied brains, the researchers also observed an association between the years preceding death and higher amounts of tangles – cell nodes cerebral palsy signify the presence of the disease.

However, amyloid plaques, which also characterize a brain affected by Alzheimer's disease, were not related to blood pressure. . Arvanitakis said that further studies are needed.

Ajay Misra is President of Neuroscience at NYU Winthrop Hospital in Mineola, New York. He described the study as "very important" and said it should spark a crucial dialogue on how best to manage blood pressure in older people. has come out, but there are more questions than answers, "said Misra, who was not involved in the new research." This study was made to provoke such questioning. "

Misra noted that the study found that the rapid decrease in blood pressure in the elderly increased the risk of stroke.In his opinion, the arteries become less elastic as we get older, it is therefore necessary to slightly increase the blood pressure so that the blood circulates properly.

"This reminds us that you can not publish that. A set of guidelines on blood pressure is good for everyone, "he added. "I think it's going to be age-specific about how blood pressure should be maintained, or there should be specific guidelines for the disease or circumstance."

The study was published online July 11 in the journal