Chronic high blood pressure puts people at risk for heart attack or stroke. Now a study shows that it also may cause memory problems, even in middle-age people.
The research, published in the current issue of Neurology, showed that people with high diastolic blood pressure (that’s the bottom number in a blood pressure reading) were more likely to have problems with memory and thinking skills compared with people who had normal diastolic readings. For every 10-point increase in the reading, the odds of a person having cognitive problems were 7 percent higher. The study controlled for other factors that could affect cognition. High blood pressure is defined as a reading equal to or higher than 14 0/90.
The study involved almost 20,000 people, 45 or older, from across the U.S.
