WESTPORT, CT (Reuters Health) - High blood pressure is associated with impaired cognitive skills in otherwise healthy elderly individuals, according to a report in the December 15th issue of Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Although some epidemiologic data support an association between hypertension and impaired cognition, no studies have explored a link between the two in elderly patients without cerebrovascular disease, the authors explain.

Dr. Gary A. Ford, from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK, and colleagues measured cognitive performance in 107 untreated hypertensive and 116 normotensive individuals aged 70 years and older who had no evidence of cerebrovascular disease. The two groups did not differ in measures of reading ability or depression, the report indicates.

The hypertensive group performed significantly slower in all but one test of reaction time, including simple reaction time, word recognition, picture recognition, and spatial memory, the authors report. Moreover, hypertensive patients responded with significantly lower accuracy in delayed word recognition, number vigilance, and spatial memory, the researchers note.

The deficits were one-third to one-half those seen in patients with mild dementia, the investigators say. "These differences may not be sufficient to interfere with activities of daily living," they write, "and would not be recognized in routine clinical practice because of wide interindividual variability."

"Our observations do not necessarily imply that treatment of hypertension will reduce cognitive decline," the authors conclude. "The present findings support undertaking further studies to elucidate the mechanisms through which hypertension is associated with cognitive impairment and intervention studies to determine whether treatment of hypertension prevents dementia."

(From Reuters)