Researchers have revealed that higher than normal blood pressure (BP) is linked to more extensive brain damage in the elderly, suggesting that it is important to control blood pressure long-term.
The study, published in the journal European Heart Journal, found that there was a strong association between diastolic blood pressure (the blood pressure between heartbeats) before the age of 50 and brain damage in later life, even if the diastolic blood pressure was within what is normally considered to be a healthy range.
The findings come from a study of 37,041 participants enrolled in the UK Biobank, a large group of people recruited from the general population aged between 40 and 69 years, and for whom medical information, including MRI brain scans was available.
The research, carried out by the University of Oxford in the UK, looked for damage in the brain called "white matter hyperintensities" (WMH).
These show up on MRI brain scans as brighter regions and they indicate damage to the small blood vessels in the brain that increases with age and blood pressure.
WMH are associated with an increased risk of stroke, dementia, physical disabilities, depression and a decline in thinking abilities.
"Not all people develop these changes as they age, but they are present in more than 50 per cent of patients over the age of 65 and most people over the age of 80 even without high blood pressure, but it is more likely to develop with higher blood pressure and more likely to become severe," the study authors wrote.
The researchers adjusted the information to take account of factors such as age, sex, risk factors such as smoking and diabetes, and diastolic as well as systolic blood pressure.
Systolic blood pressure is the maximum blood pressure reached each time the heart beats and is the top number in blood pressure measurements.
"To compare the volume of white matter hyperintensities between people and to adjust the analysis for the fact that people's brains vary slightly in size, the team divided the volume of WMH by the total volume of white matter in the brain.
In that way, they could analyse the WMH load, which is the proportion of the WMH volume to the total volume of white matter.
The researchers found that a higher load of WMH was strongly associated with current systolic blood pressure, but the strongest association was for past diastolic blood pressure, particularly when under the age of 50.
Govt slashes prices of 41 medicines
Antacids, multivitamins, and antibiotics are among the medicines that will become cheaper, according to a notification issued by the Department of Pharmaceuticals and National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA).
At least 1 in 5 new mothers experiences postpartum depression: Doctors
While parenthood comes as a blessing for many, for more than 20 per cent of mothers, the new chapter of life creates stress, anxiety and postpartum depression, which can turn fatal for both the mother and child, without adequate support, said doctors on Mother’s Day on Sunday.
New immunotherapy to fight cancer, keep healthy cells safe
A team of US researchers has developed a new immunotherapy technique that uses cytokine proteins as a potential treatment, effectively targeting tumours without causing harm to healthy cells.
Why excess sugar, oil are as dangerous for liver as alcohol
While alcohol is known to be bad for liver health, consuming foods rich in sugar and oil may be equally dangerous for the organ as well as for overall health, said doctors on Thursday, ahead of World Liver Day.
Lungs of young adults more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 virus: Study
While older age has been associated with an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid-19, a new study has revealed that the lungs of young adults are more susceptible to the virus.
Congress in Tripura blocks rail stations to protest police fired-killing of 5 farmers in MP
The firing on Tuesday came during raucous protests to demand better crop prices in the drought-ravaged region that saw one farmer suicide every five hours in the past two years.
DMs, SPs of violence-hit MP districts transferred
The farmers agitation entered its eighth day on Thursday. The peasants have been on strike since June 1, demanding loan waiver and fair price for their produce.
Indian American selected among 12 NASA astronaut candidates
He continued on to earn a master's degree in aeronautics and astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and graduated from the US Naval Test Pilot School.