- Researchers say high blood pressure in your 30s and 40s can increase your risk of dementia.
- One reason is high blood pressure can damage heart valves and create a situation where less oxygen is flowing to the brain.
- Experts say the research reemphasizes the importance of people maintaining healthy blood pressure at younger ages.
People with high blood pressure (hypertension) in their 30s and 40s may have a greater risk of dementia later in life.
That’s according to a study published today in the journal Hypertension.
The research also suggests people between ages 35 and 44 with high blood pressure have smaller brains.
The findings indicate that taking steps in young adulthood to address high blood pressure might reduce the risk of dementia.
Dr. Mingguang He, the study’s lead author and professor of ophthalmic epidemiology at the University of Melbourne in Australia, said in a statement that early onset high blood pressure is becoming more common.
He added that although the link between hypertension, brain health, and dementia later in life is already well established, it wasn’t known how these conditions occurring at an earlier age may affect the association.
Researchers analyzed data from participants in the U.K. Biobank, a large database with anonymous, detailed health information of about a half million volunteers in the United Kingdom.
After comparing MRI scans from thousands of people with and without high blood pressure at different ages, the researchers reported that total brain volume was smaller among those with high blood pressure.
Hypertension diagnosed before age 35 was associated with the largest reductions in brain volume.
Researchers also found the risk of dementia was significantly higher (61 percent) among people diagnosed with high blood pressure between the ages of 35 and 44.
Source: healthline