Reducing blood pressure early can reduce the risk of dementia

New guidelines issued by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology reveal that lowering your blood pressure now can reduce the risk of dementia later in life.

Research shows that blood pressure directly affects the brain, including its cognitive function.

These new guidelines motivate people to treat their blood pressure now to remove one risk factor and reduce the risk of dementia.

Anna D. Burke, MD, the Karsten Solheim for Dementia Research Chair, the Director of Neuropsychiatry, and a professor of neurology at Barrow Neurological Institute, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss the new guidelines.

“We know that there are certain conditions…that can actually increase the likelihood of developing alzheimers disease,” Burke said, “…and high blood pressure…is one of these conditions. So controlling your blood pressure really does seem to make an impact in reducing your risk.”

According to Burke, there have been multiple studies done that show that midlife is when one should tackle their blood pressure.

“Having chronic hyper-tension actually increases the likelihood that you will develop something called mild cognitive impairment,” Burke explained, “…and likely will increase your risk of developing dementia over time.”

Burke compared having high blood pressure to having high water pressure in the pipes in their home, which, over time, would damage the appliances.

“Same thing happens with your body,” Burke said, “…if the pressure inside your blood vessels is high, that will translate to damage to certain parts of the body, and the brain is particularly sensitive to this, but so is your heart, your kidneys, and your eyes.”

Roughly half of all Americans are struggling with hypertension, even if one doesn’t necessarily have symptoms.

“Over time, that chips away at your brain health,” Burke explained, “…it causes something called white matter disease, which is basically minor damage to the brain.”