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The following is a summary of “Blood Pressure Variability and Cognition in Black and White Older Adults Over 18 Years of Follow-up: A Population-Based Cohort Study,” published in the December 2024 issue of Neurology by Dhana et al.
Researchers conducted a prospective study examining the association among older adults for blood pressure variability (BPV) and cognitive function.
They involved 4,770 participants (mean age 71.3 [5.3] years) from the Chicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP) from 1993 to 2012. Blood pressure was measured every 3 years, and BPV was calculated as the sum of the absolute differences between successive measurements. Standardized tests assessed cognitive function, and z-scores for the composite cognitive score were computed. Multivariable linear regression was used to evaluate the relationship between BPV and cognition.
The results showed that higher systolic and diastolic BPV were associated with lower cognitive scores at the last visit. For systolic BPV, individuals in the highest tertile (third tertile) had lower cognitive scores by 0.074 standardized units (β −0.074; 95% CI −0.131 to −0.018), corresponding to 1.8 years older cognitive age. The association was significant only in Black individuals, with those in the third tertile having lower cognitive scores by 0.115 standardized units (β −0.115; 95% CI −0.183 to −0.047), corresponding to 2.8 years older cognitive age. Similar findings were observed for diastolic BPV.
They concluded that higher BPV, especially in older Black adults, was linked to lower cognitive function, suggesting the need for regular monitoring of blood pressure.
Source: neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000210151
