High blood pressure and dementia

Abstract

Sir–There is now increasing evidence that previously high blood pressure is associated with dementia and cognitive decline in old age, and that there is a decline in blood pressure in the years before dementia onset. 1 Skoog I Lernfelt B Landahl S et al. A 15-year longitudinal study on blood pressure and dementia. Lancet. 1996; 347: 1141-1145 Summary PubMed Google Scholar , 2 Elias MF Wolf PA d'Agostino RB Cobb J White LR Untreated blood pressure level is inversely related to cognitive functioning: The Framingham Study. Am J Epidemiol. 1993; 138: 353-364 Crossref PubMed Scopus (587) Google Scholar , 3 Launer LJ Masaki K Petrovitch H Foley D Havlik RJ The association between midlife blood pressure levels and late-life cognitive function. The Honolulu-Asia Aging Study. JAMA. 1995; 274: 1846-1851 Crossref PubMed Scopus (808) Google Scholar We agree with Rockwood and colleagues that the duration of increased blood pressure is important. Their report further confirms the negative association between already manifested dementia (including Alzheimer's disease) and low blood pressure, also reported by Launer 3 Launer LJ Masaki K Petrovitch H Foley D Havlik RJ The association between midlife blood pressure levels and late-life cognitive function. The Honolulu-Asia Aging Study. JAMA. 1995; 274: 1846-1851 Crossref PubMed Scopus (808) Google Scholar and Guo 4 Guo Z Viitanen M Fratiglioni L Winblad B Low blood pressure and dementia in elderly people: the Kungsholmen project. BMJ. 1996; 312: 805-808 Crossref PubMed Scopus (268) Google Scholar and their co-workers.