Blog
International study finds that hypertension treatment may reduce risk of dementia
Brazilian researchers who participated in the analysis of patients in 15 countries highlight the potential of the SUS (Unified Health System) diabetes and hypertension monitoring program in preventing dementia
Research reveals that among people over 60, those with hypertension who were not treated for the disease had an approximately 42% higher risk of dementia compared to those who were treated – Photo: Freepik
Elderly people being treated with medication for hypertension have a lower risk of developing dementia than those who do not. The finding comes from an analysis that brought together data from 17 population studies, covering 34,519 participants in 15 countries, carried out by scientists from Cohort Studies of Memory in an International Consortium (Cosmic), a group that studies risk factors, protection and biomarkers of cognitive aging and dementia. The article with the results of the work was published in the scientific journal Neurology on August 14.
The Institute of Psychiatry (IPq) of Hospital das Clínicas (HC) of the USP’s Faculty of Medical Sciences (FMUSP) took part in the research with the population study São Paulo Ageing & Health Study (SPAH), carried out with people over 65, which showed that 26.3% of patients had untreated hypertension. The IPq researchers highlight the potential of the diabetes and hypertension monitoring program of the Unified Health System (SUS), Hiperdia, to demonstrate to the Brazilian population the importance of preventing these diseases, as well as dementia.
“Multimorbidity, that is, having several chronic diseases at the same time, is an increasingly common health problem in Brazil and around the world.
It makes treatment more difficult, worsens quality of life, and increases the number of premature deaths,” researcher Marcia Scazufca, from IPq, one of the members of the group that wrote the article, told Jornal da USP.
“Systemic arterial hypertension [SAH] or ‘high blood pressure’, besides being the most prevalent chronic disease among adults and the elderly, is the most important modifiable risk factor for other comorbidities, such as cardiovascular disorders and dementia.”
Faced with inconsistent results, the researchers associated with Cosmic carried out an analysis that combined data from 17 population studies, covering 34,519 participants living in the 15 countries of the consortium (United States, Brazil, Australia, China, Korea, Singapore, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Germany, Spain, Italy, France, Sweden, and Greece).
Prevention
“The criteria for the analysis were not having dementia at the time of inclusion in the study and having a reliable diagnosis of hypertension,” describes the researcher. “Dementia assessment was carried out at least twice, at the beginning and at the follow-up of the study, on average 4.4 years after the initial analysis.”
Considering all the studies, the majority (58.4%) of the participants were women and the average age was 72.5. “As expected, the prevalence of hypertension was high, considering all 17 studies, reaching 60.1%, about two-thirds of the participants. The people analyzed were divided into three groups: 35.5% were healthy, 50.3% had hypertension and were receiving treatment, 9.8% were not being treated and 4.4% had an inconclusive diagnosis,” says Marcia Scazufca. "Participants with hypertension who were not taking antihypertensive medications had an approximately 42% higher risk of developing dementia compared to elderly people who had hypertension and were receiving treatment. This result was noticed for participants of any age from 60 upwards.”
The researcher points out that the Brazilian population-based study (SPAH) is part of the analysis carried out by the Cosmic consortium, and contributed to the analyses presented in the article. “The study included 2,072 people aged 65 or more, living in low-income areas in the western region of São Paulo, some of them very close to the USP campus in the University Town,” she describes. “Among the participants, 60.6% were women, approximately 70% were between 65 and 74 years old, 50% had an income of one and a half times the minimum wage, and 90% had up to three years of schooling.”
The prevalence of hypertension in the group of elderly people analyzed was 80.4% and, among them, approximately three-quarters were being treated with hypertensive medication. “However, a quarter of elderly people with hypertension were not being treated, which the article suggests is one of the many factors throughout life that increase the risk of developing dementia,” the researcher points out. “Educating the population and health professionals about the advantages of treating hypertension, including the prevention of dementia, is essential to improving the supply of and adherence to treatments.”
Dementia is a chronic progressive disease that still has no treatment. “Preventing its risk factors is still the best way to prevent or delay its onset,” she notes. “Although a minority of SPAH participants (26.3%) were not receiving treatment for hypertension, they were more exposed to a risk factor that could be prevented.”
“Health education, an important part of Hiperdia, can inform the population about the importance of treating hypertension to prevent dementia, as well as other chronic diseases,” she points out. For the researcher, health education is the first step for the population and health professionals to understand and adhere to evidence-based interventions. “The main message of this article is that treating hypertension is important for preventing dementia at all stages of life,” concludes the IPq researcher.
The SPAH study received funding from the São Paulo Research Foundation (Fapesp) and the Wellcome Trust, a UK research support institution. The researchers responsible for the work are Marcia Scazufca, Paulo Rossi Menezes, from FMUSP, and Homero Pinto Valada, from FMUSP and IPq.
More information: scazufca@usp.br, with Marcia Scazufca
English version: Nexus Traduções
Política de uso
A reprodução de matérias e fotografias é livre mediante a citação do Jornal da USP e do autor. No caso dos arquivos de áudio, deverão constar dos créditos a Rádio USP e, em sendo explicitados, os autores. Para uso de arquivos de vídeo, esses créditos deverão mencionar a TV USP e, caso estejam explicitados, os autores. Fotos devem ser creditadas como USP Imagens e o nome do fotógrafo.
A reprodução de matérias e fotografias é livre mediante a citação do Jornal da USP e do autor. No caso dos arquivos de áudio, deverão constar dos créditos a Rádio USP e, em sendo explicitados, os autores. Para uso de arquivos de vídeo, esses créditos deverão mencionar a TV USP e, caso estejam explicitados, os autores. Fotos devem ser creditadas como USP Imagens e o nome do fotógrafo.