Blood Pressure Variability Linked to Cognitive Decline
Higher visit-to-visit blood pressure (BP) variability is linked to faster cognitive decline in older adults, according to a recent study from China.
Visit-to-visit variability of BP has been linked to cognitive decline over time, although the connection in older adults is not completely understood. The researchers conducted their study to understand how visit-to-visit BP, but not mean BP, would impact the decline in cognitive function among this population.
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Variable Blood Pressure Linked to Cardiovascular Events
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To conduct their prospective cohort study, the researchers followed 976 adults who had 3 or 4 visits with BP measurements as part of the China Health and Nutrition Survey from 1991 up to their first cognitive test.
Participants were included if they had completed cognitive screening tests at 2 or more visits in 1997, 2000, or 2004 of an average 3.2 years apart.
The researchers expressed the visit-to-visit BP variability as the standard deviation, coefficient of variation, or the variation independent of mean BP across visits.
The results showed that the mean age at the first cognitive test was 64 years.
After using multivariable-adjusted linear mixed-effects models, the researchers found that higher visit-to-visit variability in systolic BP, but not mean systolic BP, led to faster cognitive decline.
In addition, higher visit-to-visit variability in diastolic BP, independent of mean diastolic BP, led to faster cognitive decline among adults aged 55 to 64 years, but not those aged 65 years or older.
“Our results suggest that higher long-term BP visit-to-visit variability is associated with a faster rate of cognitive decline among older adults,” the researchers concluded.
—Amanda Balbi
Reference:
Qin B, Viera AJ, Muntner P, et al. Visit-to-visit variability in blood pressure is related to late-life cognitive decline [published online May 23, 2016]. Hypertension. doi:10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.116.07494.