High blood pressure
Midlife hypertension damages small blood vessels in the brain, raising dementia risk. Intensive control reduces it.
Why it matters
The SPRINT MIND trial showed that targeting blood pressure below 120 reduced mild cognitive impairment by 19%.
What to ask at the checkup
Ask for a blood pressure reading and what the target should be
Screening: Blood pressure reading (office or home monitor)
Sources
Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet Commission
Livingston G, Huntley J, Liu KY et al.. The Lancet, 2024.
Fourteen things people can change account for nearly half of dementia cases at the population level.
Effect of Intensive vs Standard Blood Pressure Control on Probable Dementia: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Williamson JD, Pajewski NM, Nasrallah IM et al.. JAMA, 2019.
Keeping blood pressure below 120 reduced the chance of memory problems by about a fifth.
Association of midlife blood pressure with late-life cognitive decline
Gottesman RF, Albert MS, Alonso A et al.. JAMA, 2017.
High blood pressure in middle age predicted more memory loss decades later.
Routines for this factor
Check blood pressure this week
Take a blood pressure reading at home or at the pharmacy.
10 min, difficulty 1/3
Skip adding salt at one meal today
Cook or eat one meal without adding extra salt.
2 min, difficulty 1/3
Ask the pharmacist to review all medications
Take all pill bottles to the pharmacy and ask for a medication review.
15 min, difficulty 1/3