Lowering systolic blood pressure below 120 mmHg may reduce dementia risk among Black and Latino populations

A new study suggests that reducing systolic blood pressure below the clinically safe threshold of 120 mmHg over time may produce small health benefits against late-onset dementia and help reduce racial and ethnic disparities in blood pressure. hypertension and control of hypertension.

Hypertension is one of the most modifiable risk factors for Madnessbut most research on reducing dementia risk through blood pressure control are limited to white participants, even though black and Latino populations disproportionately experience both conditions.

A new study led by the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) and the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health fills this knowledge gap with results suggesting that lowering systolic blood pressure (SBP) in midlife could slightly reduce the risks of developing a disease. dementia, particularly among Black and Latino individuals.

Published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia, the study found that middle-aged adults who lower their systolic blood pressure by medication or other intervention may benefit from modest protection of their health against dementia. at a later age. Black and Latino individuals had the greatest reduction in risk.

Read moreWhy You Shouldn't Scratch Yourself

Among nearly half of Americans suffering high blood pressure, only 1 in 4 adults have high blood pressure under control, and these rates are even lower among blacks and Hispanics, who are faced with multiple barriers to diagnosis and treatment. SBP (the highest number in a blood pressure measurement) refers to the pressure in the arteries when the heart contracts, and it is generally considered high above 120 mmHg and above 130 mmHg. This study is the first to estimate the lasting effect of lower SBP on dementia risk in racial and racial groups. ethnic after adjusting for time-varying factors, and the results highlight the benefits of hypotensive treatments and how these interventions can help alleviate racial and ethnic disparities in dementia risk.

“Despite increasing rates of hypertension, minority groups are less likely to benefit from blood pressure reduction interventions, through health policies or access to medications,” says Dr. Marcia Pescador Jimenez, assistant professor of epidemiology under study. BUSPH. “We hope that results like these will encourage policymakers and health care practitioners to increase access to blood pressure control treatment for these populations to reduce disparities in hypertension and, in turn, subsequently, dementia rates. »

Using medical records, death certificatesAnd demographic data, Dr. Pescador Jimenez and colleagues from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and Wake Forest School of Medicine applied new modeling to examine the effects of hypothetical sustained interventions aimed at lowering blood pressure and risk of dementia over a 19-year period among middle-aged and older black, Chinese-American, Latino, and white adults. The 6,814 participants were part of the Multi-Ethnic Atherosclerosis Studyan ongoing study led by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

For the study, Dr. Pescador Jimenez, lead author Dr. L. Paloma Rojas-Saunero, a postdoctoral researcher at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, and colleagues conducted several analyzes to account for the effect of potential mortality when assessing participants' dementia risk . They included in the analyzes any type of intervention aimed at reducing blood pressure, such as medications, diet, and other health behavior changes.

Over the 19-year study period, the overall risk of dementia among participants was 8.8 percent. About half of the participants required an intervention to successfully reduce their SBP below 140 mmHg during the study period, while 86 percent required some form of intervention to achieve a SBP in below 120 mmHg.

Compared to participants who received no interventions to reduce blood pressure, each analysis found that interventions to reduce blood pressure in Latino and black participants would have a slightly greater chance of reducing their risk of dementia late, compared to white participants. Surprisingly, the estimates showed a slightly harmful rather than protective effect on the health of Chinese-American participants, but the researchers believe this result could be a result of the small sample size and lower number of dementia cases among this population within the study group (*).Consistent with ongoing federal efforts

to reduce disparities in high blood pressure, the team hopes these findings will encourage further research into racial disparities and ethnic in the effective control of hypertension. “Next, we plan to study the robustness of these findings in other representative samples of minority populations, particularly in studies in which detection of dementia is not different across racial and ethnic groups,” explains the Dr. Pescador Jimenez.

More information :