Dementia and Hypertension

Masaki Mogi

Department of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology and Pharmacology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine

Vascular risk factors are recently reported to be closely associated with dementia including not only vascular dementia but also Alzheimer's disease. Hypertension is one of the major vascular risk factors and induces small vessel degeneration which plays a role in glymphatic system for the clearance of amyloid β. Epidemiological analysis suggests that midlife hypertension is risk for dementia. Arterial stiffness is also closely associated with amyloid β deposition. Therefore, treatment with antihypertensive drugs may be effective for hypertensive patients to prevent the impairment of cognitive decline in the future. However, there has not been currently much clinical evidence.

Address correspondence to Dr. Masaki Mogi, Department of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology and Pharmacology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine (Shitsukawa, Tohon, Ehime 791-0295, Japan)