Blood pressure treatment could lower risk of dementia, clinical trial data suggests

Lowering high blood pressure reduces dementia risk by 15%, as shown in a clinical trial involving 34,000 patients in China.

Addressing high blood pressure could lower one's risk of developing cognitive impairment by 16 per cent and dementia by 15 per cent over the following four years, according to clinical trial results published in the journal Nature Medicine.

Cognitive decline usually precedes dementia, an ageing-related condition that steadily impairs one's speech, memory and language.

The phase 3 clinical trial involved nearly 34,000 patients aged over 40 in rural China. People in 163 villages were provided hypertension treatment through medicines and lifestyle changes, while people in other 163 villages continued their usual care.

Researchers, including those at The University of Texas, U.S., found that over a follow-up period of four years, systolic blood pressure fell by 22 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure by 9.3 mm Hg, among the people treated for hypertension.

Further, at the end of the four-year follow-up, "anti-hypertensive treatment was associated with a 15 per cent reduction in dementia events," the authors wrote.

Dementia cases around the world are expected to triple over the coming decades, with low- and middle-income countries projected to bear a disproportionate burden.

Blood pressure is known to be a risk factor for developing dementia. A study, published in the journal Neurology in January, showed that an aggressive control of blood pressure for over three years can provide sustained benefits in preventing cognitive decline.