• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Hypertension, Cognitive Impairment Linked

Posted on: Wednesday, 12 December 2007, 12:00 CST

High blood pressure appears linked to an increased risk for mild cognitive impairment, said researchers at the Columbia University Medical Center in New York.

Study author Dr. Christiane Reitz and colleagues said mild cognitive impairment -- a condition that involves difficulties with thinking and learning -- has attracted increasing interest, particularly as a means of identifying the early stages of Alzheimer's disease as a target for treatment and prevention.

Researchers tracked 918 Medicare recipients age 65 and older -- average age 76.3 -- without mild cognitive impairment beginning in 1992 through 1994. All participants underwent an initial interview and physical examination, along with tests of cognitive function and were examined again approximately every 18 months for an average of 4.7 years.

The study, published in the Archives of Neurology, found hypertension increases the risk of incident mild cognitive impairment.

Preventing and treating hypertension may have an important impact in lowering the risk of cognitive impairment, Reitz said.

Source: United Press International

More News in this Category