Study links high blood pressure in young adults to smaller brains, dementia

A new study published Monday by Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal, revealed that high blood pressure in young adults was found to be linked to an increased risk of smaller brain size and dementia.

According to the study, people who are diagnosed with high blood pressure between the ages of 35 and 44 were more likely to develop dementia than people with normal readings.

The study, using a database of anonymous health information from nearly a half-million volunteer participants located in the United Kingdom, determined changes in the brain by measuring and comparing brain volume of adults in three age groups — younger than 35 years old, 35-44 years old and 45-54 years.

The risk for dementia was found to be 61 percent higher in people diagnosed with high blood pressure between the ages of 35 and 44 compared to study participants who had not been diagnosed. 

“Hypertension is very common in middle-aged people (45-64 years), and early-onset high blood pressure is becoming more common. Although the association among hypertension, brain health and dementia in later life has been well-established, it was unknown how age at onset of hypertension may affect this association. If this is proven, it would provide some important evidence to suggest earlier intervention to delay the onset of hypertension, which may, in turn, be beneficial in preventing dementia,” senior author of the study, Mingguang He, said in a statement, according to CNN. 

Follow-ups were conducted with participants on average of nearly 12 years later to see if they had received dementia diagnosis.