from American Heart Association
There is consistent evidence that chronic high blood pressure in our middle years is associated with impaired cognitive function, in both middle age and later in life, when it poses a risk for Alzheimer’s disease. A scientific statement from the American Heart Association notes an estimated eighty million people in this country have hypertension or high blood pressure and the brain is among the organs most affected. The statement says except for age hypertension is the most important risk factor for vascular problems in the brain that lead to stroke and dementia. The group of medical experts who wrote the statement concluded that judicious treatment of high blood pressure seems justified to safeguard brain health. Many cases of high blood pressure can be treated with medication and/or lifestyle modification.