Hypertension Linked to Dementia in Older Women

Older women with hypertension are at increased risk for developing brain lesions that cause dementia later in life, according to data from the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS). The findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Hypertension.

The research was conducted as part of the Women’s Health Initiative. WHIMS, which involves a subgroup of the women enrolled in the initiative, looks at the influence of hormone therapy on thinking and memory. All the women in WHIMS were aged 65 or older.

Upon enrolling in the trial and annually during their participation in it, the women had their blood pressure measured and underwent tests to measure their cognitive ability. Some of the WHIMS participants—1,403 of them—also underwent MRI at 14 U.S. academic centers in 2005 and 2006. All of these women were free of dementia when they enrolled. Examination of the data on these 1,403 women was led by Lewis H. Kuller, MD, DrPH, of the University of Pittsburgh, in conjunction with researchers at other centers.

The MRI studies revealed that women who, on entry to the WHIMS trial, had elevated blood pressure (defined as systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg, or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mmHg, or being on antihypertensive drug therapy), had significantly higher amounts of white matter lesions when they underwent MRIs eight years later. Normal blood pressure is defined as a systolic blood pressure of 120 or less and a diastolic pressure of 80 or less.

The small blood vessels in the brain are especially susceptible to damage from even moderately elevated blood pressure—resulting in damage to the white matter served by those vessels. The brain’s white matter is composed of whitish myelin-coated axons (nerve cell appendages) that allow nerve cells to communicate with each other and help the regions of the brain work together. Several studies have found that damage to white matter, as indicated by the presence of white matter lesions, seems to be an independent risk factor for dementia.

The current study reinforces earlier research showing that hypertension plays a role in causing dementia, suggesting that preventing hypertension from developing—through weight loss, exercise or other lifestyle changes—would be beneficial.

— Source: Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University