A massive study in rural China has found that intensively lowering blood pressure significantly reduces the risk of dementia and cognitive decline in people with hypertension. Over 48 months, patients who received targeted care saw a 15% reduction in dementia and a 16% drop in cognitive impairment risk.
Researchers from multiple universities have come together to form the China Rural Hypertension Control Project Phase-3 (CRHCP-3), which is one of the largest randomized effectiveness trials. The study involved over 33,000 people across 326 villages in rural China, with 17,407 individuals in the “intervention” group and 16,588 in the usual care group being studied and followed up for after 48 months.
Those in the intervention group were adopted by non-physician community healthcare providers (NPCHP) led multifaceted implementation strategy to reduce their blood pressure with the goal of reaching a systolic blood pressure below 130 mm Hg and a diastolic blood pressure under 80 mm Hg. The results showed a reduction of 22.0 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure and 9.3 mm Hg in diastolic blood pressure compared to the group who received usual care.
The study’s findings support wider adoption of intensive blood pressure control to help combat the global dementia crisis. According to Dr. Yingxian Sun, professor at the First Hospital of China Medical University and author of the study, “intensive blood pressure reduction was associated with a non-significant 17% reduction in dementia events among SPRINT-MIND participants.” However, this study found a significant 15% lower risk of all-cause dementia and a 16% lower risk for cognitive impairment no dementia (CIND).
These findings provide additional motivation for patients with hypertension to work with their healthcare providers to manage their blood pressure. The study’s results also highlight the importance of community-based interventions in reducing the risk of dementia.
The research was funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, the Chinese Society of Cardiology Foundation, and the Science and Technology Program of Liaoning Province.
Source: https://neurosciencenews.com/dementia-hypertension-29177