from University of Connecticut
It is estimated that two-thirds of people
over seventy-five may have damaged
small blood vessels in their brain. That, in
turn, is associated with cognitive decline
and limited mobility, such as slower
walking speed and increased risk of falls.
A study of elderly patients for three years
at the University of Connecticut found
intensive blood pressure control reduced
the blood vessel damage in the brain. In
fact, after three years accumulation of
damaged lesions in the brain were
reduced by as much as forty percent in
those receiving intensive blood pressure
treatment, along with fewer heart attacks,
strokes and hospitalizations for heart
failure. The target systolic blood pressure
in the study was less than one hundred
thirty.