Understanding Blood Pressure
With each pump, your heart pushes the blood though your blood vessels. The pressure caused by the heart pumping action allows the blood to reach all organs of your body. When the heart is squeezing blood into the arteries, the pressure is high and when the heart is relaxed, this pressure is lower. We can measure the highest (systolic) and lowest (diastolic) pressure in the main arteries using a blood pressure cuff. Systolic measure is the reading of pressure in the artery as the heart contracts. Diastolic measure is the reading of pressure in the artery when the heart is relaxing and being filled with blood. Normal blood pressure can be slightly different in different people, but it is usually considered high if the reading is above 140 mmHg for systolic pressure and exceeding 90mmHg for diastolic pressure. It is well established that high blood pressure increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as stroke or heart attack. Hypertension can increase the risk of dementia as well. The Lancet Commission report 2020 identified hypertension as one of 12 evidence based modifiable risk factors for dementia. Large studies with prolonged follow up showed that persistent midlife hypertension increases the risk of dementia later in life. It’s important to draw your attention to the word “midlife” in that phrase. Midlife is usually defined as age 40 years to 60 years. Research indicates hypertension in midlife can reduce brain volume. It means, compared to older age, the negative effect of hypertension in midlife is more prominent. On the plus side, evidence shows that managing hypertension in this stage of life can reduce the risk of developing dementia in older age. References: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/high-blood-pressure-hypertension
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