Key result
Genetically proxied higher systolic blood pressure was associated with an increased risk of all-cause dementia and vascular dementia, but not Alzheimer's disease.
Why the study?
Evidence linking hypertension to dementia remains inconsistent, potentially due to subtype-specific effects.
Does higher systolic blood pressure increase the risk of all-cause dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and vascular dementia in the UK Biobank cohort?
Observational (n=447,915)
Yes
Does higher systolic blood pressure increase the risk of all-cause dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and vascular dementia in the UK Biobank cohort?
Genetically proxied higher systolic blood pressure is causally associated with an increased risk of vascular dementia and all-cause dementia, but not Alzheimer's disease.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Supports subtype-specific BP effects on dementia; leaves open whether SBP lowering alters AD or VaD risk in practice.
Hypertension is a key modifiable risk factor for longevity. However, evidence linking hypertension to dementia remains inconsistent, potentially due to subtype-specific effects. We aimed to examine relationships between systolic blood pressure (SBP) and risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) using individual-level Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses. Logistic and Cox regressions assessed the association of blood pressure traits with all-cause dementia, AD and VaD in the UK Biobank cohort. Observational analyses indicated SBP was associated with increased risk of all dementia outcomes. MR analyses indicated genetically proxied SBP was associated with increased risk of all-cause dementia (OR=1.26, [95% CI:1.15;1.38]; HR=1.28, [95% CI:1.17;1.40]). When stratified by subtype, higher SBP was associated with increased risk of VaD (OR=1.56, [95% CI:1.25;1.93]; HR=1.58, [95% CI:1.28;1.97]), but not AD (OR=1.10, [95% CI:0.95;1.26]; HR=1.11, [95% CI:0.97;1.28]). Post-hoc analyses supported a differential effect. Hypertension appears to be a greater risk factor for VaD than AD.
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Desai et al. (2025) conducted an observational in Dementia (All-cause, Alzheimer's disease, Vascular dementia) (n=447,915). Genetically proxied systolic blood pressure vs. Lower genetically proxied systolic blood pressure was evaluated on All-cause dementia (HR 1.28, 95% CI 1.17-1.40). Genetically proxied higher systolic blood pressure was associated with an increased risk of all-cause dementia (HR 1.28) and vascular dementia (HR 1.58), but not Alzheimer's disease.
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