High short- and mid-term blood pressure variability was associated with poorer cognitive functioning and increased arterial stiffness in older adults without dementia.
Cross-Sectional (n=70)
Is blood pressure variability associated with cognitive functioning and vascular stiffness in older adults without dementia?
High blood pressure variability is associated with lower cognitive performance and increased arterial stiffness in older adults without dementia, suggesting its potential as an early clinical marker for cognitive impairment.
Background: High blood pressure variability (BPV), particularly in older age, appears to be an independent risk factor for incident dementia. The current study aimed to investigate the association between different BPV measures (short- and mid-term BPV including circadian patterns) and cognitive functioning as well as vascular stiffness measures to better understand the role that BPV plays in cognitive impairment. Methods: 70 older adults (60-80-year-olds) without dementia completed a cognitive test battery and had their blood pressure (BP) assessed via a 24-hour ambulatory BP monitor (divided into sleep and wake for short-term BPV) and 4-day morning and evening home-based BP monitor (for day-to-day BPV). Arterial stiffness was evaluated via pulse wave analysis and pulse wave velocity (PWV) and cerebrovascular pulsatility was assessed via transcranial doppler sonography of the middle cerebral arteries. Results: High systolic as well as diastolic short- and mid-term BPV were associated with poorer cognitive functioning, independent of the mean BP. Higher short-term BPV was associated with poorer attention and psychomotor speed, whilst day-to-day BPV was negatively linked with executive functioning. Circadian BP patterns (dipping and morning BP surge) showed no significant relationships with cognition after adjusting for covariates. Higher systolic short-term BPV was associated with higher arterial stiffness (PWV) and higher diastolic day-to-day BPV was linked with lower arterial stiffness. No significant associations between BPV measures and cerebrovascular pulsatility were present. Conclusion: High BPV, independently of the mean BP, is associated with lower cognitive performance and increased arterial stiffness in older adults without clinically-relevant cognitive impairment. This highlights the role of systolic and diastolic BPV as a potential early clinical marker for cognitive impairment.
Gutteridge et al. (Sun,) conducted a cross-sectional in Cognitive impairment (n=70). Short- and mid-term blood pressure variability was evaluated on Cognitive functioning and vascular stiffness. High short- and mid-term blood pressure variability was associated with poorer cognitive functioning and increased arterial stiffness in older adults without dementia.