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Updated: Dec 13, 2025

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Blood Pressure Variability and Dementia: A State-of-the-Art Review

Yuan Ma1, Phillip J Tully2, Albert Hofman1

  • 1Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

American Journal of Hypertension
|July 26, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Blood pressure variability (BPV) is linked to organ damage and dementia risk. Understanding BPV

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Cardiology
  • Gerontology

Background:

  • Blood pressure variability (BPV) is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for target organ damage, including cardiovascular and renal diseases.
  • Emerging evidence links elevated BPV to cognitive decline and dementia, a growing global health concern.
  • Effective dementia treatments are lacking, emphasizing the need to address modifiable vascular risk factors for prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current evidence on the association between BPV and dementia.
  • To explore the epidemiological data, underlying mechanisms, and potential interventions related to BPV and cognitive health.
  • To identify future research directions for BPV management in dementia risk assessment and prevention.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review of epidemiological studies and mechanistic research.
  • Analysis of existing literature on blood pressure variability and cognitive function.
  • Synthesis of data on intervention strategies targeting BPV for dementia prevention.

Main Results:

  • Accumulating evidence suggests BPV independently contributes to target organ damage and increases dementia risk.
  • BPV may play a significant role in the etiology and progression of cognitive decline.
  • Optimal blood pressure management strategies considering BPV are crucial for dementia prevention.

Conclusions:

  • BPV represents a critical, potentially modifiable, risk factor for dementia.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate mechanisms and optimize clinical translation of BPV assessment.
  • Targeting BPV offers a promising avenue for dementia prevention and management.

Keywords:
Alzheimer’s diseaseblood pressureblood pressure variabilitycerebral hemodynamicscerebral small vessel diseasedementiahypertensionnarrative review

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