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TUESDAY, April 16, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Older adults (aged \u226575 years) undergoing antihypertensive treatment with systolic blood pressure (SBP) >150 mm Hg have less cognitive decline than those with SBP <130 mm Hg, according to a study published in the March\/April issue of the Annals of Family Medicine<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Sven Streit, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Bern in Switzerland, and colleagues used data from the Integrated Systematic Care for Older Persons population-based prospective cohort study to assess whether SBP in older patients (average age, 82.4 years) undergoing antihypertensive treatment is associated with one-year changes in cognitive\/daily functioning or quality of life (QoL).<\/p>\n
The researchers found that among 1,057 participants undergoing antihypertensive therapy (83.5 percent of the study population), crude cognitive decline was less in those with SBP >150 mm Hg versus those with SBP <130 mm Hg (0.76-point less decline using the Mini-Mental State Examination; P for trend = 0.013). The relationship was modified by complex health problems. The association between SBP and cognition was seen in those with antihypertensive treatment (P for trend < 0.001) but not in those without (P for trend = 0.13). There were no significant differences in daily functioning\/QoL across SBP measurements or antihypertensive treatment.<\/p>\n
“Our results suggest that SBP thresholds for treatment should be redefined, especially for frail older persons,” the authors write.<\/p>\n