Blood Pressure Trajectories and Incident Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment

Mid- and late-life blood pressure can contribute to dementia risk. To further assess this risk, researchers from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study analyzed mid- to late-life blood pressure trajectories and late-life incidence of dementia and mild cognitive impairment. Individuals were classified by blood pressure — normotensive, hypertensive (>140/90 mm Hg), or hypotensive (<90/60 mm Hg) — which was measured at five visits during a 24-year period, from 1987–1989 to 2011–2013. Cognitive and functional assessments were obtained at a sixth visit in 2011–2013 and 2016–2017.

Among 4761 individuals (59% women; 21% black), the mean age range at first blood pressure assessment was 44 to 66 years and the mean age range at first cognitive …