Blood Pressure and Cognitive Function in Healthy Old People

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Abstract
Objective: Since hypertension is a major risk factor for multi‐infarct dementia, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of blood pressure on cognitive function in elderly subjects on no medication and disease‐free.Design: A cross‐sectional survey.Setting: Community.Participants: 598 healthy community‐resident subjects aged 70 years and over who were on no treatment.Measurements: Blood pressure (BP) and MMSE score, an index of cognitive function.Results: Mean age of the sample was 75.7 years, mean BP 160/86 mmHg, mean MMSE 28.0. Systolic BP correlated negatively with MMSE (P < 0.05), but diastolic BP showed no significant overall correlation. To study possible J‐shaped curve effects of BP, the sample was stratified into three groups—low BP, normal BP, and high BP—at levels one standard deviation from the mean for both systolic and diastolic pressures. Mean MMSE scores for low, normal and high systolic BP were 28.3, 28.1, 27.5, respectively; for low, normal, and high diastolic BP scores were 28.0, 28.1, and 27.5 respectively. Multivariate analysis of variance found the differences between normal and high to be significant at P < 0.001 for systolic and P = 0.001 for diastolic BPs.Conclusion: High blood pressure is associated with cognitive impairment in healthy, drug‐free, older people.