Alzheimer's Risk Lower In People With Hypertension

Researchers of a new study were surprised when they learnt of a link between high blood pressure and Alzheimer's disease. The study postulates that either hypertension or drugs used to treat it can lend protection against Alzheimer's, which currently has no cure.

"Our results are the opposite of what people might think. It may be that high blood pressure is protective, or it may be that something that people with high blood pressure are exposed to more often, such as antihypertensive medication, is protecting them from Alzheimer's disease," said University of Washington's Paul Crane, one of the study's authors.

For the study researchers analyzed genetic data from 17,008 individuals with Alzheimer's and compared it with 37,154 people without the disease. They found a significant association existed between higher systolic blood pressure and reduced Alzheimer's risk.

Though genetic analysis does not explain the finding, researchers feel that exposure to anti-hypertensive drugs can explain the protective effect.

"It's likely that this protective effect is coming from antihypertensive drugs. These drugs are already FDA approved. We need to take a serious look at them for Alzheimer's prevention," said co-author John Kauwe, associate professor of biology at Brigham Young University.

The study was published in PLOS Medicine.

Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60-70 % of dementia cases across the world. There are currently 44 million people worldwide living with dementia and the number could increase to 135 million 2050.