Health

Fluctuations in blood pressure in older people indicate a tendency towards dementia

pressure measurement
With unstable blood pressure, the risk of becoming a victim of dementia in old age becomes much more significant, Australian scientists have concluded.

Researchers representing the University of South Australia , came to the conclusion that fluctuations in blood pressure in older people indicate a tendency to dementia and diseases of the cardiovascular system. The data they obtained was published by ScienceDirect.

Scientists monitored a group of elderly people – several dozen people aged 60 to 80 years, who did not have pathological cognitive impairment at the start of the tests. The specialists recorded all changes in their blood pressure over time, and also monitored indicators of the stiffness of the arteries of the brain. Doctors were interested in how people's cognitive functions correlated with these changes.

According to researchers, the arteries of the human body with age undergo stiffness – a process of deterioration of the arterial wall. The arteries become stiffer, losing their ability to stretch due to elasticity. This, in turn, impairs the transport of blood through them to such important organs as the heart and brain.

The work of scientists has shown that the stiffness of the arteries in some cases can be especially intense, and a sign of this is the pressure fluctuations that occur at the over a short period of time. In particular, systolic (upper) pressure may increase sharply. Such fluctuations in blood pressure in older people are associated with a deterioration in their cognitive abilities and may indicate their susceptibility to dementia, experts have found.

“Subjects who experienced short-term changes in blood pressure (BP) over a period of hours or days performed worse on tests of cognitive ability,” the experts reported.
Specifically, older people who experienced blood pressure fluctuations showed deterioration in such intellectual abilities. qualities such as memory, logical thinking, mastery of skills, spatial orientation. All this precisely characterizes dementia.

“Careful monitoring of blood pressure can become a tool for diagnosing dementia and cardiovascular diseases at an early stage,” the authors of the project believe.
The MedikForum.ru portal previously wrote about that the lack of strength loads after 30 years contributes to rapid aging of the body.

Important! Information is provided for reference purposes . Ask a specialist about contraindications and side effects and under no circumstances self-medicate. At the first signs of illness, consult a doctor.

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