New Delhi: A new study has revealed a fact that people who develop hypertension at an older age may have decreased risk of dementia.
The study further reveals that individuals developing blood pressure at the age of 80 or more, possess lesser risk of getting exposed to dementia.
Hypertension and other heart health risk factors are generally thought to increase dementia risk.
"The study found that hypertension is not a risk factor for dementia in people age 90 or over, but is actually associated with reduced dementia risk," said lead author Maria Corrada, Professor at the University of California, Irvine.
The results revealed that participants who reported hypertension onset at age 80 to 89 were 42 per cent less likely to develop dementia after age 90 compared to those who reported no history of high blood pressure.
Participants whose hypertension began at age 90 or older were at even lower risk - 63 per cent less likely to develop dementia.
Dementia risk declined as hypertension severity increased - a trend consistent with the idea that, in this age group, hypertension may protect the brain from insults that lead to dementia, the researchers observed.
(With IANS inputs)
