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Lowering blood pressure in elderly reduces brain damage

18-Mar-2019

Key points from article :

Patients on blood pressure lowering medication saw less accumulation of harmful brain lesions.

Reduced the accrual of this brain damage by 40 percent in a period of just three years.

But reduction did not translate to a significant improvement in mobility and cognitive function.

Study compared people maintaining high BP of 145 mm Hg compared to those lowered to 130.

Used around-the-clock blood pressure monitors to monitor participants during daily living.

Chronic high blood pressure exacerbates damage to small arteries in deep regions of the brain.

Trial enrolled 199 people who were an average age of 81 years old.

Mentioned in this article:

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William B. White

Cardiovascular safety consultant and former Professor of Medicine at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine

Topics mentioned on this page:
Blood Pressure, Mental Health