Greater fluctuation in blood pressure between visits was linked to cognitive decline in a new study appearing in the American Heart Association's journal Hypertension.
For the study, researchers analyzed information from 976 Chinese adults over the age of 55 who participated in a health and nutrition survey over a period of five years.
Through blood pressure measurement and cognitive testing, researchers were able to determine that higher variability in systolic blood pressure visit-to-visit was linked to a quicker decline in cognitive function and verbal memory, and higher variability between visits in diastolic blood pressure was linked with a faster decline in cognitive function among participants ages 55 to 64, but not among those age 65 and older. Neither blood pressure measures were associated with alterations in brain function.
Bo Qin, PhD, lead study author and a postdoctoral scholar at Rutgers Cancer Institute in New Brunswick, N.J., said, "These blood pressure fluctuations may indicate pathological processes such as inflammation and impaired function in the blood vessels themselves...controlling blood pressure instability could possibly be a potential strategy in preserving cognitive function among older adults."
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