The earlier you develop high blood pressure, the worse your memory will be in middle age! Xu Dingli and others from Nanfang Hospital conducted a study

Previous studies have shown that hypertension is one of the risk factors for impaired cognitive function.

On November 29, a prospective study published by Xu Dingli and others from the Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University suggested that if hypertension begins in early adulthood, verbal memory will deteriorate significantly in middle age regardless of current or long-term blood pressure control, and the longer the course of hypertension, the worse the verbal memory.

The researchers emphasized that for patients with a long course of hypertension, even if their blood pressure has been controlled, the potential risk of cognitive decline associated with hypertension cannot be ignored.

The study included 2718 adults aged 18 to 30 years with no baseline hypertension from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study in the United States. Blood pressure was repeatedly measured at 2, 5, 7, 10, 15, 20, and 25 years after baseline inclusion, and the duration of hypertension was calculated. At the 25th year, the RAVLT, DSST, and Stroop tests were used to assess the subjects' cognitive function.

Multivariate analysis showed that people with a longer duration of hypertension had poorer verbal memory, but processing speed and executive ability were not affected.