Differences in blood pressure’s influence on dementia risk in men and women may provide clues to help slow the rapid progress of the disease, according to new research.
In a study involving half a million people, researchers found that although the link between several mid-life cardiovascular risk factors and dementia was similar for both sexes, for blood pressure it was not. Low and high blood pressure were both shown to be associated with a greater risk of dementia in men, but for women the risk of dementia increased as blood pressure went up.
Lead author Jessica Gong said that while more research was needed to verify these findings, they may point to better ways of managing risk.
“Our results suggest a more tailored approach to treating high blood pressure could be more effective at preventing future cases of dementia,” she said.
Dementia is fast becoming a global epidemic, currently affecting an estimated 50 million people worldwide. This is projected to triple by 2050 – mainly driven by aging populations. Rates of dementia and associated deaths are both known to be higher in women than men.
In 2016 it overtook heart disease as the leading cause of death in Australian women and it is the second leading cause of death for all Australians.
With no treatment breakthroughs of any significance, the focus has therefore been on cutting the risk of developing the disease. Cardiovascular risk factors are increasingly recognised as contributors to different types of dementia.
To explore differences in major cardiovascular risk factors for dementia between the sexes, George Institute researchers accessed data from the UK Biobank, a large-scale biomedical database that recruited 502 489 dementia-free Britons 40-69 years old between 2006 and 2010.
They found that, to a similar degree in women and men, smoking , diabetes, high body fat levels, prior stroke history, and low socio-economic status were all linked to a greater risk of dementia.
But when it came to blood pressure, the relationship with dementia risk between the sexes was different. Although the reason for this wasn’t clear, the authors proposed some possible explanations.
“Biological differences between women and men may account for the sex differences we saw in the relationship between blood pressure and the risk of dementia,” said Ms Gong.
“But there may also be differences in medical treatment for hypertension. For example, women are less likely to take medication as prescribed by their healthcare provider than men and may be taking more medications and experiencing more side effects.”
While there are no effective treatments for dementia, trying to reduce the burden of the disease by encouraging healthier lifestyles is the priority, and the strongest evidence points to blood pressure management.
“Our study suggests that a more individualised approach to treating blood pressure in men compared to women may result in even greater protection against the development of dementia,” said study co-author Professor Mark Woodward.
“It also shows the importance of ensuring sufficient numbers of women and men are recruited into studies and that the data for women and men should be analysed separately,” he added.
Source: George Institute
