Hypertension and cerebrovascular damage.
Hypertension is the most important modifiable factor for cerebrovascular disease. Stroke and dementia are growing health problems that have considerable social and economical consequences. Hypertension causes brain lesions by several mechanisms predisposing to lacunar infarctions, leucoaraiosis, and white matter changes as well as to intracerebral haemorrhages. These parenchymal damages determine evident or silent neurological alterations that often precede the onset of cognitive decline. It is important to recognize cerebrovascular disease and, above all, to correlate typical lesions to hypertension. Antihypertensive therapy has shown clinical benefits in primary and secondary prevention of stroke. These drugs represent important instruments against cerebrovascular disease but their effects on cognition are still matter of debate. Cerebral parenchymal and functional damages have to be considered together to make medical intervention more incisive.
Veglio
Franco
F
University of Turin, Italy. franco.veglio@unito.it
Paglieri
Cristina
C
Rabbia
Franco
F
Bisbocci
Daniela
D
Bergui
Mauro
M
Cerrato
Paolo
P
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020521:Stroke / Q000517:prevention & control; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents