Low blood pressure shows strongest link to Alzheimer's disease

Numerous types of cardiovascular disease and CVD risk factors were linked to a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease, with low blood pressure showing the strongest connection, according to a new analysis published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

"By examining different types of heart disease individually, we identified which adults with heart disease might have the highest risk for cognitive decline. This highlights the importance of optimal cardiovascular health to possibly prevent Alzheimer's disease," said Aili Toyli, B.S., lead author of the study and a student at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan.

Cardiovascular disease is a group of conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels throughout the body including the brain, such as coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure, irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation) and risk factors, such as high or low blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes. Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia, which slowly impairs memory, thinking and cognitive function. When there is inadequate blood flow to the brain, the reduced oxygen and nutrients create an environment that can foster accumulation of Alzheimer's-related proteins in the brain, such as amyloid beta and tau.

The study's findings indicate that many heart and blood vessel conditions - particularly those affecting blood flow - are strongly linked to brain health and Alzheimer's disease. While high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, obesity and smoking are independent risk factors for both cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer's disease, risk factors, particularly conditions like hypertension, can cause damage to blood vessels (vascular disease) and can lead to cognitive decline.