Welcome to this edition of The ISLAND Project newsletter. I am Adam Kane and I started as a project officer for the ISLAND Project at the beginning of 2020. It was a very exciting opportunity to join the team. The best part about this job is being able to go out and chat to people, hearing of the goodwill in the community, and seeing the interest for the project.

I have lived most of my life in Adelaide. After getting the chance to travel for a while, I realised that I spent most of my time thinking about how people tick. I went back to study, and was amazed by what scientists could tell us about how brains work. This interest led me to postgraduate studies looking at how the light going into our eyes is turned into useful information in our brains. This was a great way to understand how our brains sum the activity of a lot of individual brain cells to make decisions.

I married a lovely Hobart girl who convinced me that Hobart was the only place to raise a child and so I moved here eight years ago. When I am not at work, I enjoy getting out on a push bike, being on the water, or getting out in our caravan with family and friends. The best part of moving to Tasmania has been seeing how community-orientated a modern state can be.

Since moving to Hobart I have been lucky enough to work on applied health research projects such as early identification of coronary artery disease and blood pressure management. An understanding of these areas has served as a good basis for me talking to people about dementia prevention.

The major strength of the ISLAND Project so far has been in just letting people know that they can reduce their dementia risk, and what the risk factors are. But once we have spread the word, our next step is something that I find very interesting. As individuals we can know that we have the risk factors for various chronic diseases and want to change. However, there are still barriers in actually making the required changes in our life.

I like this project because I know that there are lots of ISLAND members out there that are keen to share their own insights into barriers and solutions. It is great to be a part of an evolving project where we will have the opportunity to get community input and convert community insights into testable ideas.

What is hypertension (high blood pressure)?

Blood pressure measures the force applied to your arteries (the major blood vessels that carry blood to our essential organs) as blood is circulated around the body by the heart. It is measured by your GP using a blood pressure cuff.

Your blood pressure is reported as two numbers. The first represents the systolic pressure - a measure of the pressure on your arteries per beat of the heart. The second is the diastolic pressure - a measure of the remaining pressure when the heart rests between beats. A normal blood pressure reading is around 120/80 mmHg.

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is diagnosed when your blood pressure is consistently above 140/90 mmHg. It is a serious condition that is a major cause of heart attack and stroke worldwide.

The known risk factors for high blood pressure include lack of exercise, being overweight or obese, an unhealthy diet that is high in salty food, alcohol consumption that exceeds the recommended maximum, drinking a lot of caffeine, smoking, a family history of high blood pressure, use of steroid medication or kidney disease.

Hypertension and dementia

Long-term research studies have demonstrated that persistent high blood pressure in mid-life is a key factor that can increase your risk of developing dementia in later life, particularly vascular dementia. In late life however, research suggests that weight and blood pressure may fall in those developing dementia and may be a sign of illness, and not necessarily an absence of risk for developing dementia.  

Vascular dementia is the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer's disease. It is caused by reduced blood flow to the brain, which starves brain cells of the oxygen and nutrients they need to function correctly. There does appear to be some association between high blood pressure and risk of Alzheimer's disease.  The basis for this is not well understood. Hypertension and damage to blood vessels may contribute directly to the development of Alzheimer's pathology, or this vascular issue may undermine the resilience to neurons to these pathological changes.

A UK study found that those participants with persistent systolic blood pressure of 130 mm Hg or higher, from mean age 45 to 61 years, had an increase in dementia risk, despite having no other cardiovascular disease relative to those without hypertension.

These findings highlight that a lifelong approach to good health as the best way to lower your risk of dementia.  If you are concerned about your blood pressure, or have not had it checked in some time, please visit your pharmacist or see your GP for a check-up.  Effectively managing high blood pressure can reduce your risk of developing dementia.

Not yet a member of ISLAND?

If you haven't signed up to our research program, it's easy and takes just a few minutes. 

Our website, ISLAND Home, is where you will find access to our research surveys and activities.  By becoming an ISLAND member you will be kept updated with information and opportunities to help you reduce your risk of developing dementia and to be part of our combined efforts to reduce the incidence of dementia in Tasmania.

Go to our website and sign up, or if you have enrolled in any of our MOOC's, go to the log in link and sign in with your existing credentials.

The University of Tasmania received funding from the Australian Government. Views and conclusions expressed in this publication are those of its authors, and may not be the same as those held by the Department of Health.

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