BP Variability in Older Age Linked to Dementia Risk

A US cohort study suggests that high blood pressure variability (BPV) can indicate increased incident dementia risk in older age. The study focused on 820 participants (mean age, 77.0 years; 58.0% females) with data of brain autopsy and midlife to late-life BP. A mean of 28.4 yearly SBP measurements were available over 31.5 years. Data were collected from 1994 through November 2019, and analyzed between March 2020 and September 2023. With the mean follow-up time of 32.2 years in 27 885 person-years from midlife to death, 45.4% of the participants developed dementia. Higher BPV was associated with 35% higher dementia risk (hazard ratio [HR], 1.35) at age 90 years, but not at age 60, 70, or 80 years. Meta-regression of HRs calculated separately for each age (60-90 years) indicated that associations of higher BPV with higher dementia risk were present only at older ages, whereas the association of SBP with dementia gradually shifted direction linearly from being incrementally to inversely associated with older ages. The findings suggest that high BPV may indicate increased dementia risk in older age. Variability in other cardiovascular, metabolic, and kidney parameters in older people has also been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events and dementia. Source: https://jamanetwork.com/