Effects of intensive versus standard blood pressure control on domain-specific cognitive function: a substudy of the SPRINT randomised controlled trial
Intensive treatment to lower systolic BP did not result in clinically relevant difference vs. standard treatment in memory (annual decline in mean standardised domain score of −0·005 vs. −0·001, respectively) or processing speed in a subgroup of participants from SPRINT (n=2921)
Source:
The Lancet Neurology
Resource links:
SPS commentary:
According to a commentary notes that results from the SPRINT substudy suggest that a healthy scepticism is needed about the use of intensive treatment to lower systolic blood pressure in older adults to prevent cognitive decline and dementia. It notes that to date, large clinical trials have focused primarily on patients without cognitive impairment at baseline, which leaves out many patients with cognitive dysfunction and introduces additional questions about lowering blood pressure. It adds that the optimal blood pressure lowering targets for those with mild cognitive impairment or dementia are still unknown, but encouraging results from observational studies that have focused on lowering blood pressure in people in early life and midlife and from meta-analyses of trials on intensive lowering of systolic blood pressure (e.g. by ≥10 mm Hg), should motivate future study design in terms of preserving cognition.