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Some studies in geriatric patients demonstrate an association between low blood pressure (BP) and cognitive impairment, but cause and effect are controversial. Two new observational studies address this issue.
Researchers in Italy divided 1540 outpatients (age, ≥75; median age, 82) into tertiles of systolic BP; median systolic BPs in the tertiles were 130, 140, and 170 mm Hg. Two thirds of patients were taking at least one antihypertensive drug. Patients in the highest BP tertile had significantly better average scores on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) than patients in the lowest tertile (by about 2 points on a 30-point scale). The difference remained significant after adjustment for demographic variables, comorbidities, and specif…