Intensive systolic BP treatment has significant cognitive benefits in mild cognitive impairment or dementia

The secondary analysis of the SPRINT trial revealed that in a monotonic pattern patients with a higher baseline projected risk of probable dementia or amnestic mild cognitive impairment had significant absolute cognitive improvement with intensive vs conventional SBP therapy. The study results were published in the journal JAMA Network Open.  

In the SPRINT trial, intensive (systolic blood pressure [SBP] goal <120 mm Hg) vs standard (SBP goal <140 mm Hg) treatment reduced the risk of a composite outcome of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and probable dementia, in addition to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality. Detecting patient characteristics associated with the greatest magnitude of cognitive benefit from intensive vs standard SBP treatment may help prioritize patients. Intensive vs standard treatment to lower systolic blood pressure (SBP) reduces the risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia but the magnitude of cognitive benefit likely varies among patients. Hence researchers conducted a study to estimate the magnitude of the cognitive benefit of intensive vs standard systolic BP (SBP) treatment. 

About 9361 randomized clinical trial participants 50 years or older with high cardiovascular risk but without a history of diabetes, stroke, or dementia were followed up. The main intervention was the Systolic blood pressure treatment to an intensive (<120 mm Hg) vs standard (<140 mm Hg) target. A composite of adjudicated probable dementia or amnestic MCI was the primary outcome of the measurement.