Hypertension Could Affect Alzheimer's Disease Progression

Hypertension could cause the brain to become more vulnerable to Alzheimer's disease according to new research conducted at the University of Pittsburgh. It is believed that high blood pressure reduces the blood flow in the brains of adults with Alzheimer's disease.

"While hypertension is not a cause of Alzheimer's disease, our study shows that it is another hit on the brain that increases its vulnerability to the effects of the disease," explained study co-author Cyrus Raji, scientist and M.D. and Ph.D. candidate at the University of Pittsburgh.

Hypertension is when the blood is pushed through the arteries with too much force. It estimated by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute that as many as 50 million people in the United States have hypertension. High blood pressure is associated with an increased risk of aneurysm, stroke, and heart attack.

However, as increasing evidence indicates that cardiovascular and brain health are connected, it is hypothesized that the effects of hypertension could do serious damage to the brain in addition to other known health risks.

"This study demonstrates that good vascular health is also good for the brain," said co-author Oscar Lopez, M.D., professor of neurology and psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh. "Even in people with Alzheimer's disease, it is important to detect and aggressively treat hypertension and also to focus on disease prevention."

In the study, an arterial spin-labeled MRI was used to measure blood flow within the brain for the patients involved in the study. People included in the study were patients with Alzheimer's disease, patients with Alzheimer's disease and high blood pressure, and patients with just hypertension. People with mild cognitive impairment due to aging and control groups were also included in the study.

The MRI indicated that the blood flow was much less in patients that had hypertension than those without high blood pressure. The group within the study that had the lowest brain blood flow had both Alzheimer's disease and hypertension.

However, those patients with just high blood pressure also had lower blood flow to the brain. Patients without high blood pressure had normal levels of blood pressure.

"These results suggest that by changing blood flow to the brain, hypertension-treated or untreated-may contribute to the pathology of Alzheimer's," Raji said.

The researchers believe that early treatment of high blood pressure could quite possibly delay the progression of Alzheimer's disease, making the hypertension an important condition to be treated as soon as possible for both brain and heart health.

Source:

Radiological Society of North America, "High blood pressure may heighten effects of Alzheimer's disease" Eurekalert