Is hypertension negatively associated with memory performance in women during climacteric? A systematic review

The negative association between hypertension and memory performance has been a subject of broad debate in recent decades. Considering the neuroendocrine changes that occur during climacteric, this systematic review aimed to investigate whether hypertension is negatively associated with memory performance in women during climacteric.

A comprehensive search was conducted in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, Scopus, and BVS electronic databases according to the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Studies involving hypertensive, middle-aged women in the climacteric phase were included. The risk of bias and methodological quality was assessed using the Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies (NHLBI, NIH).

Out of 16 studies selected for the full-text reading phase, 5 were included in the systematic review. The included studies were predominantly longitudinal. Heterogeneity was observed in the sample size, and the tools for assessing memory, reproductive stage, and hypertension diagnosis. Two longitudinal studies reported a negative association between hypertension and memory performance, while one found no significant association. The cross-sectional studies reported that hypertensive participants demonstrated poorer memory performance compared to normotensive participants.

Based on the included studies, the results suggests that hypertension is negatively associated with memory performance in climacteric women. However, due to the small number of studies and the fact that most were conducted in developed countries, these results should be interpreted with caution (PROSPERO registration number: CRD42023391668).