Blood pressure and cognition in older adults with multiple sclerosis: preliminary examination

Comorbid conditions, particularly vascular comorbidity, are common in MS and may hasten the CNS damage and disease manifestations. We undertook a preliminary examination of the association between blood pressure (BP) and cognitive function in samples of older adults with MS and healthy controls.

Older adults with MS (n = 29) and healthy controls (n = 29) completed the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS) battery and underwent assessment of BP. The data were analyzed using the Baron and Kenny approach for examining blood pressure as an explanatory variable for group differences in cognition.

The MS group, as expected, had significantly lower California Verbal Learning Test-II (CVLT-II) z-scores from the BICAMS and higher diastolic BP (DBP) than healthy controls. DBP had statistically significant correlations with CVLT-II z-scores in the overall sample (r =  - .42) and MS subsample (r =  - .51), but not healthy controls(r =  - .29); the correlation was not attenuated when controlling for age and disability status in the MS subsample (pr =  - .48). Group initially explained 6% of the variance in z-scores from the CVLT-II (β =  - 0.24). The inclusion of DBP accounted for an additional 14% of the variance in z-scores from the CVLT-II, and DBP(β =  - 0.39), but not group (β =  - 0.13), was a significant correlate of CVLT-II z-scores; the results were unchanged when controlling for anxiety and depression scores.

Our results provide preliminary, cross-sectional support for future population-based research examining DBP, hypertension, and verbal memory in older adults with MS.