The Hypertension–Dementia Connection: A Chance to Make a Difference?

Two recent studies address the effect of hypertension treatment on Alzheimer neuropathology and dementia risk. In one study, researchers examined the brains of 291 deceased elders (average age at death, 83) who had been recruited from nursing homes or elder facilities. The researchers compared the amounts of Alzheimer neuropathology (neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles) in patients with histories of treated hypertension, untreated hypertension, or normotension. Only brains with no significant pathology other than Alzheimer changes were included. Subjects with treated hypertension had the least AD neuropathology, and those with …