Earlier onset of high blood pressure affects brain structure, may increase dementia risk

Individuals who are diagnosed with high blood pressure at ages 35-44 had smaller brain size and were more likely to develop dementia compared to people who had normal blood pressure.

The results raise the possibility that taking steps in young adulthood to control or delay the onset of high blood pressure may reduce the risk of dementia.

In each diagnostic age category (from 35 to 54), the total brain volume was smaller in people with high blood pressure, and the brain volume of several regions were also smaller compared to the participants who did not have high blood pressure; Hypertension diagnosed before age 35 was associated with the largest reductions in brain volume compared with controls; and Among people with normal blood pressure readings at the time of their MRI scans, those who were previously diagnosed with hypertension at <35 years old had smaller total brain volume compared to people with normal blood pressure.

The risk of dementia from any cause was significantly higher (61%) in people diagnosed with high blood pressure between the ages of 35 and 44 compared to participants who did not have high blood pressure. The risk of vascular dementia (a common form of dementia resulting from impaired blood flow to parts of the brain) was 45% higher in the adults diagnosed with hypertension between ages 45-54 and 69% higher in those diagnosed between ages 35-44, compared to participants of the same age without high blood pressure.

Although vascular dementia risk was 80% higher in those diagnosed with high blood pressure before age 35, there were fewer cases of dementia among the younger participants, and the association with high blood pressure was not statistically significant, whereas the risk association was meaningful for individuals ages 45-54 with high blood pressure.

Ideally, losing weight and increasing exercise would be the best, but don’t be afraid to take supplements or even a drug to help.

High blood pressure is a symptom, not a disease, even though I think most doctors treat it as though the elevated blood pressure reading itself is the disease. IMO, a lot of patients think that if the drugs lower their blood pressure, that they don't need to deal with the underlying CAUSE of the elevated levels. Same thing with cholesterol levels. Since the doctors act like treating the symptoms is good enough, I guess it's hard to blame patients that trust their doctor on that.

The drug treatment could give them a false sense of security and wind up doing them more harm in the long run, especially when you factor in the side effects of the drugs on the various hormone interactions in the body, stacked on top of the unresolved underlying causes.

There are plenty of sites on the internet that list out potential causes of high blood pressure that people can find. I doubt many of those sites would list "prescription drug deficiency" on their lists.

It would be nice if doctors would educate their patients and set a goal of eliminating the need for the prescription drugs, when they might at times be necessary to deal with symptoms that have reached a crisis level. Unfortunately, the modern medical system is set up to maximize profits by maximizing the number of doctor/patient interactions. Actually curing diseases minimizes those interactions. A healthcare facility administrator would much rather have patients on a long-term treatment plan.

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