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CHICAGO (AP) – Lowering blood pressure more than usual not only helps prevent heart problems, but also reduces the risk of wasting that often leads to Alzheimer's disease, notes a major study.
A single step was clearly demonstrated to help prevent a dreaded condition that had people trying crosswords, dietary supplements and a host of other things in the hope of keeping their minds alive. alive
. a reading of 120 instead of 140 was 19% less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment. They also had fewer signs of damage to brain scans, and there was a possible trend towards fewer cases of dementia.
"This is a big breakthrough," said Dr. Jeff Williamson of the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina. "It's more important than ever to work with your doctor to ensure you have good control over your blood pressure."
He led the study and gave results on Wednesday at the International Alzheimer's & Conference Association in Chicago. They are considered preliminary until their publication, scheduled later this year.
Independent experts cheered the news.
"We have long known that high blood pressure is bad for your brain," said James Hendrix, director of global scientific initiatives at the Alzheimer's Association
THE BRAIN-BLOOD PRESSURE LINK
About 50 million people worldwide have dementia, and Alzheimer's disease is the most common type.There is no cure – current medications such as Aricept and Namenda simply relieve symptoms – prevention is therefore essential
About half of adults in the United States suffer from high blood pressure according to guidelines adopted last year or more, rather than 140. Normal is less than 120.
High blood pressure can damage blood vessels and has long been associated with a higher risk of dementia, but it is unclear whether lowering the pressure would reduce this risk. The federally funded study was designed to test this in the most rigorous way.
It involved more than 9,300 people at high pressure. Half of them received two medications, on average, to get their best score below 140. The rest received three medications, on average, and aimed at 120. During the study, the average pressure was 121 in the intensive treatment group and 135 in the other.
The study was stopped in 2015, almost two years earlier, when it became clear that a lower pressure was helping to prevent heart problems and deaths. But the results of these tests continued for two years and these new results were revealed Wednesday.
The researchers found a 19% decrease in mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, in the intensive-treatment group – 285 cases versus 348 the higher-pressure group. Nearly half of people with MCI develop dementia over the next five years.
"It's really more important to prevent MCI than dementia, it's like preventing hypercholesterolemia rather than heart attack," said Williamson. There was also less case of dementia in the intensive treatment group, but there was too little to say that low blood pressure was the reason. Dementia takes longer than mild impairment, doctors think the difference can widen over time.
MRIs of 454 participants showed that those in the lower pressure group had fewer white matter lesions. Laurie Ryan, a dementia researcher at the National Institute on Aging, said, "This fits" other findings on thinking skills and reinforces the evidence that lowering blood pressure helps. Some doctors have criticized this as too aggressive, but the new findings, showing benefits to the brain, "support and perhaps even extend the guidelines," said Williamson. "The goal of less than 130 is extremely important."
The study did not test specific blood pressure medications. Instead, each participant's physician chose those who were available among more than a dozen.
When heart outcomes were announced a few years ago, doctors said that too low pressure, fainting, and some kidney problems commonly occurred in the intensively treated group, but that these risks were considered to be worth the benefit. a lower risk of heart problems and death.
Reaching the lower level meant using one more drug, and "90 percent is generic and costs less than a dollar a day," Williamson said. "For a modest cost, it has a huge benefit for people's health."
Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support from the Department of Science Education of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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