Many years of American research conducted on a group of several thousand aged 30 to 62 have shown that hypertension damages the brain’s functioning in middle-aged people. In people with high blood pressure, MRI has shown changes that affect cognitive performance and accelerate the development of dementia. Thus, early detection and treatment of hypertension reduces the risk of dementia in old age.
Don’t forget the pressure
The first signs of dementia are, for example, forgetting where you left your wallet, keys, and shopping. Increasingly, it is also impossible to remember the PIN number for the payment card. The further development of dementia includes putting food in the wardrobe instead of in the fridge or having difficulty getting dressed. Worse, the person who is losing their memory is not fully aware of it. It is noticed by the closest ones.
If we want to enjoy good memory until old age, we need to take care of proper blood pressure. In Great Britain, over one hundred elderly people were tested at the University of Newcastle. They filled out mental performance tests. In all tasks, the hypertensive people fared much worse – they thought slower, they remembered less, they recognized objects in drawings worse, they were less efficient at associating facts.
A blood supply to the brain
The brain is one of the most blood-supplied organs, so blood pressure has a big influence on it. – Too high can cause permanent damage – says neurologist Dr. Adam Kobayashi from the Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology in Warsaw. – Hypertension destroys blood vessels causing blood clots to form on their walls. A detached thrombus clogs the vessel, resulting in ischemia and cell death. It is then an ischemic stroke. It also happens that the vessel bursts, then it is called a hemorrhagic stroke. After a stroke, a patient may lose the use of limbs, the ability to coordinate movements, stop speaking or see, and also lose the ability to understand speech. In many cases, a stroke is life-threatening.
Mikroudary
Hypertension also causes micro-strokes and strokes that do not show any obvious symptoms. Scars after them are visible during computed tomography examinations. They may result in vascular dementia. Dementia is also often associated with damage to the subcortical centers, which have a blood supply different from other brain structures. The arteries there are wider and well connected with the heart, and therefore more vulnerable to the effects of high blood pressure.
Save from oblivion
If we want to keep the brain functional for many years, we should check our blood pressure regularly. If it is higher than 140/90 mmHg, we must consult our GP. There are many drugs on the market that allow you to effectively regulate your blood pressure, you just need to take them regularly. Prevention of high blood pressure is first and foremost about not smoking papers and controlling weight. Prophylaxis is physical activity 4-5 times a week for at least 45 minutes continuously. For many people under the age of 45, excessive salt intake is the cause of abnormal blood pressure. The standard is up to 5 groszy a day, while most of us exceed it three times. You must also not forget about blood sugar and cholesterol control. It is worth doing such research once a year.
Tekst: Halina of Pilon