title: Hypertension and dementia: does blood pressure control favorably affect cognition?
abstract: Dementia and aging are not synonymous. Dementia is a progressive deterioration in cognitive and social and/or occupational functions that can eventually impair a patient's ability to live independently. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia. It accounts for 50% to 70% of all patients with dementia. Vascular dementia, responsible for up to 15% of all diagnosed cases, is the second most common form of dementia. Hypertension remains a significant risk factor for vascular dementia. The optimal level of blood pressure control for the prevention of dementia and whether one particular class of antihypertensive drug is more beneficial than another remains uncertain.
authors.affiliation: Primary Care (11C), Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, 109 Bee Street, Charleston, SC 29401-5799, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Majeski
authors.forename: Colin E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Widener
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Basile
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents