Blood pressure, dementia linked

Treating high blood pressure in the very elderly may help reduce their risk of developing dementia, according to a report Monday in the journal Lancet Neurology.

The findings were based on an analysis of four studies looking at the effects of blood pressure drugs in several thousand elderly patients. When data was pooled, the combined results showed that taking medication to reduce blood pressure also cut the risk of dementia by 13%.

More than 5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, accounting for 60% to 80% of cases. The second most common form is vascular dementia, which can result from a stroke or a narrowing of blood vessels in the brain. Treatment for high blood pressure has already been shown to help reduce the risk of strokes and heart problems, researchers said.