High Blood Pressure and Cognitive Decline in Mild Cognitive Impairment

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Felicia C. Goldstein, Emory University; Allan I Levey, Emory University; Kyle Steenland, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2013-01
• Publisher: Wiley: 12 months
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2012, Copyright the Authors, Journal compilation © 2012, The American Geriatrics Society
• Final Published Version (URL): http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jgs.12067/abstract;jsessionid=BDB8F12F1A5FD42DD1B2E06BB1EFBEBF.d04t03
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
• ISSN: 0002-8614
• Volume: 61
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 67
• End Page: 73
• Grant/Funding Information: Supported by the Emory Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (NIH-NIA 5 P50 AG025688) (AIL).
• Keywords: cerebrovascular disease; hypertension; dementia; mild cognitive impairment; neuropsychology
• Research Categories: Biology, Neuroscience; Gerontology

Abstract

Objectives To determine whether high blood pressure (BP) levels are associated with faster decline in specific cognitive domains. Design Prospective longitudinal cohort. Setting Uniform Data Set of the National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging Alzheimer's Disease Centers. Participants One thousand three hundred eighty-five participants with a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and measured BP values at baseline and two annual follow-up visits. Measurements Neuropsychological test scores and Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes (CDR Sum) score. Results Participants with MCI with two or three annual occasions of high BP values (systolic BP ≥ 140 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mmHg) had significantly faster decline on neuropsychological measures of visuomotor sequencing, set shifting, and naming than those who were normotensive on all three occasions. High systolic BP values were associated as well with faster decline on the CDR Sum score. Conclusion Hypertension is associated with faster cognitive decline in persons at risk for dementia.