Hypertension is the cause of early brain aging

Researchers at the University of California at Davis, working under the guidance of Professor Charles DeCarli, demonstrated for the first time that already at the age of 40, hypertension and prehypertensive conditions cause accelerated aging of the brain, manifested by a violation of the structural integrity of the white matter and a decrease in the volume of gray matter. Apparently, vascular damage to brain tissue begins asymptomatically, however, as it worsens, it leads to visible manifestations. Previously, damage to the white matter of the brain associated with high blood pressure was associated with a deterioration in cognitive function in elderly people.

Normal blood pressure values are 120 mmHg for systolic pressure (the first digit) and 80 for diastolic pressure (the second digit). The ranges 120-139 and 80-89, respectively, are considered prehypertensive. Indicators of 140/90 or more are considered high.

Earlier studies have demonstrated the existence of a relationship between high blood pressure and an increased risk of brain damage and atrophy, negatively affecting cognitive function and increasing the risk of developing dementia. There is evidence that a decrease in blood pressure in middle and early old age helps to prevent early deterioration of cognitive abilities and the development of dementia.

To assess the age of occurrence, the severity and nature of the effects exerted by increased systolic ("upper") pressure on the state of cognitive function, scientists analyzed data collected as part of the Framingham Study – a longitudinal analysis of the cardiovascular health of residents of Framingham, Massachusetts, which began more than 60 years ago. Currently, the study includes the third generation of participants.

In 2009, the authors included 579 participants in the Framingham study, whose age at that time was on average 39 years old. All participants were divided into 3 groups: those with normal blood pressure, those with prehypertensive condition and hypertensive patients. At the same time, the use of drugs to reduce blood pressure and smoking were also taken into account.

Using modern methods of magnetic resonance imaging, the researchers assessed in detail the state of the white and gray matter of the participants' brains. The obtained data were used to create a global system that allows comparing the state of the brain of people with normal and elevated blood pressure.

The results of this comparison showed that according to the state of white and gray matter, the biological age of the brain of 33-year-olds with high blood pressure corresponded to the biological age of the brain of 40-year-olds with normal blood pressure. This suggests that by the age of 33, high blood pressure ages the brain by about 7 years.

The authors do not postulate the mechanisms of damage, but note that high blood pressure reduces the elasticity of the arteries, which is accompanied by increased pulsation of blood entering the brain. This negatively affects the condition of the brain vessels, apparently impairing the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the nervous tissue.

All this points to the need for early detection of high blood pressure and the use of adequate methods to reduce it.

Article by Pauline Maillard et al. Effects of systolic blood pressure on white-matter integrity in young adults in the Framingham Heart Study: a cross-sectional study published in The Lancet Neurology.

Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of the University of California Davis:
High blood pressure damages the brain in early middle age.

07.11.2012