Intensive Blood Pressure Control Reduces Dementia Risk: Study Finds

A major study published in Nature Medicine has shown that intensive blood pressure control significantly lowers the risk of dementia and cognitive decline among hypertensive patients in rural, resource-limited communities. Conducted as part of the China Rural Hypertension Control Project Phase-3, the 48-month randomized effectiveness trial found that targeted blood pressure management reduced the risk of all-cause dementia by 15% and cognitive impairment without dementia by 16%. These findings support the broader adoption of intensive hypertension interventions as a strategy to address the global burden of dementia.

While blood pressure control is a known preventive measure for cardiovascular disease, definitive evidence linking it to dementia prevention has been limited.

To address this gap, researchers studied 33,995 individuals across 326 villages in rural China. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group or a usual care group. Those in the intervention group received care through a non-physician community healthcare provider-led strategy aimed at achieving systolic blood pressure below 130 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure under 80 mm Hg.

The results were significant: the intervention group saw a 22.0 mm Hg reduction in systolic blood pressure and a 9.3 mm Hg drop in diastolic blood pressure compared to the usual care group. “These findings provide additional motivation for patients with hypertension to reduce their blood pressure—not only to prevent cardiovascular disease, but also to lower their risk of dementia,” said Yingxian Sun, professor at the First Hospital of China Medical University and lead author of the study.

The research team emphasized the need for further studies and the future integration of big data and artificial intelligence to enhance early prediction and individualized dementia prevention strategies.