Women with high blood pressure at increased risk of dementia
New research has shown that women who are diagnosed with high blood pressure in their 40s are at much higher risk of dementia later in life.
In the study, published in the journal Neurology, blood pressure measurements were recorded from more than 7000 subjects in their early 30s between 1964 and 1975. Around a decade later their blood pressure was measured again.
Between 1996 and 2015 researchers tracked down 5,646 of the subjects and found that women who had been diagnosed with high blood pressure in their 40s were 73% more likely to be diagnosed with high blood pressure compared to women who had normal blood pressure. The findings were not the same for the men.
The link between high blood pressure and dementia is well established however this study suggests that the link is greater for women than men. It is not clear why this is and before making any conclusions further investigations are needed.
Shefalee Loth, Nutritionist at Blood Pressure UK says:
'It's not commonly known that high blood pressure is a risk factor for dementia, however this study shows that high blood pressure in your 40s can affect your risk of dementia more than 30 years later.
Unfortunately, more people are being diagnosed with high blood pressure at younger ages, due to unhealthy diets and inactive lifestyles which in turn will increase their risk of dementia as shown here but also stroke and heart disease.'