Ask your competent? doctor guarantee THE EXACT LEVEL FOR YOU!
Data from animal models of hypertension indicate that high blood pressure may develop as a vital mechanism to maintain adequate blood flow to the brain.
Previous studies have hinted that high blood pressure treatment could
reduce the risk of developing dementia.
New study results published online today in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association suggest that onset of high blood pressure later in life is associated with lower dementia risk after age 90, especially if hypertension is developed at age 80 or older.
Low blood pressure potential driver of Alzheimer’s disease risk
Key takeaways:
- Several CVD subtypes were associated with increased likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
- Addressing heart health may also promote healthy brain aging.
Several CVD subtypes including high and low BP, arrhythmia disorders and cerebral infarction, were significantly associated with increased risk for future Alzheimer’s disease, researchers reported.
The data emphasize the importance of optimal heart health in healthy brain aging, specifically in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, according to findings published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
“Weihua Zhou, PhD’s lab has focused on cardiology and Alzheimer’s disease research for over a decade. Through ongoing collaboration with clinicians and engagement with the literature, we developed a strong interest in the impact of conditions such as coronary artery disease and heart failure on brain health. Approximately two years ago, a large-scale study published in Science examining heart–brain relationships further inspired us to expand our research in this area," Aili Toyli, recent graduate of Michigan Technological University, told Healio. “In this study, we aimed to deepen our understanding of the mechanisms linking the heart and brain by systematically comparing associations between multiple CVD subtypes and Alzheimer’s disease.”
With the use of logistic regression models adjusted for demographic, lifestyle and clinical covariates, researchers evaluated the impact of 10 CVD subtypes on risk for future Alzheimer’s disease in more than 700,000 participants in the UK Biobank and NIH’s All of Us Research Program.
CVD subtypes of interest included hypertension, hypotension, angina pectoris, acute MI, pulmonary embolism, arrhythmia disorder, heart failure, chronic rheumatic heart disease, chronic ischemic heart disease and cerebral infarction.
Participants in both cohorts with Alzheimer’s disease were more likely older and had diabetes, lower educational attainment, former or current smoking history and less frequent alcohol consumption vs. those without Alzheimer’s disease. There were no significant differences in BMI between participants with and without Alzheimer’s disease, according to the study.
In the UK Biobank cohort, researchers reported hypotension had the strongest association with Alzheimer’s disease (OR = 2.74; 95% CI, 2.52-2.98), followed by hypertension (OR = 1.57; 95% CI, 1.46-1.68), arrhythmia disorder (OR = 1.52; 95% CI, 1.41-1.63) and cerebral infarction (OR = 1.49; 95% CI, 1.3-1.71).
“Our findings indicate that most CVD subtypes are significantly associated with Alzheimer’s disease, reinforcing the strong link between CV and brain health,” Toyli told Healio. “Importantly, these patterns were consistently observed across both the UK Biobank — known for its rigorous structure — and the more diverse All of Us Research Program, strengthening the robustness and generalizability of our results.”
The researchers noted that the associations in the All of Us Research Program cohort were generally similar to the UK Biobank, with hypotension having the strongest association with Alzheimer’s disease (OR = 1.97; 95% CI, 1.57-2.23), followed by cerebral infarction (OR = 1.85; 95% CI, 1.5-2.3) and hypertension (OR = 1.65; 95% CI, 1.37-1.99).
“We were particularly surprised to find that hypotension showed the strongest association with Alzheimer’s disease,” Toyli said. “Compared with hypertension, hypotension has been relatively understudied in dementia research, likely because it receives less clinical attention and is often not treated when asymptomatic. This finding highlights a potentially underrecognized pathway that warrants further investigation.”
In neither cohort were acute MI, chronic rheumatic heart disease nor angina pectoris significantly associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
“As this is an exploratory, cross-sectional study, we cannot draw causal conclusions or offer definitive clinical recommendations,” Toyli told Healio. “However, our findings suggest that maintaining CV health may play an important role in preserving cognitive function and reducing dementia risk.”
On genetic analyses, researchers found shared loci with high overlap between CVD and Alzheimer’s disease, including six associated with lipid metabolism and Alzheimer’s disease traits; three linked to ventricular wall thickness and Alzheimer’s disease; and three linked to neuroinflammation, immune response and cardiac structure.
“The causal direction of these associations remains unclear. For example, low BP could contribute to reduced cerebral perfusion, while neurodegenerative changes in Alzheimer’s disease may impair autonomic regulation and reduce BP,” Toyli said. “A key long-term goal of our research is to identify causal pathways by integrating multimodal data — including EHRs, lifestyle factors, genetic data, medical imaging and biomarkers — using advanced AI methods in large and diverse populations.”
For more information:
Aili Toyli can be reached at cardiology@healio.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment