Alzheimer's and High Blood Pressure: Genetic Predisposition May Lower Alzheimer's Risk

New findings published in the journal PLOS Medicine reveal that high blood pressure patients may be less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers at Brigham Young University (BYU) found a potential connection between people with a genetic predisposition to high blood pressure and a lower risk for Alzheimer's disease.

For the study, researchers collected and analyzed data from over 17,000 individuals with Alzheimer's and more than 37,000 people withtout health issue. Researchers collaborated with scholars from the University of Cambridge, Aarhus University in Denmark and the University of Washington on the study, examining potential links between Alzheimer's disease and a number of other health conditions including obesity, diabetes and high cholesterol. However, findings only revealed a significant association between higher systolic blood pressure and reduced Alzheimer's risk.

"Our results are the opposite of what people might think," Paul Crane, co-author of the study and a University of Washington associate professor of internal medicine, said in a statement. "It may be that high blood pressure is protective, or it may be that something that people with high blood pressure are exposed to more often, such as antihypertensive medication, is protecting them from Alzheimer's disease."

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