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(Hypertension. 2000;36:1079.)
© 2000 American Heart Association, Inc.
Scientific Contributions |
Cognitive Performance in Hypertensive and Normotensive Older Subjects
From the Institute for the Health of the Elderly, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne (F.H., B.K.S., I.G.M., G.A.F.); and Cognitive Drug Research (K.W.), Reading, United Kingdom.
Correspondence to Prof G.A. Ford, Wolfson Unit of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, United Kingdom. E-mail g.a.ford{at}ncl.ac.uk
Abstract—Longitudinal studies
suggest that hypertension in midlife is associated with cognitive
impairment in later life. Cross-sectional studies are difficult to
interpret because blood pressure can change with onset of dementia and
the inclusion of subjects on treatment and with hypertensive end-organ
damage can make analysis difficult. We examined cognitive
performance in hypertensive and normotensive subjects without
dementia or stroke 
70 years of age. Cognitive performance was
determined with the use of a computerized assessment battery in 107
untreated hypertensives (55 women, age 76±4 years, blood pressure,
164±9/89±7; range, 138 to 179/68 to 99 mm Hg) and 116
normotensives (51 female, age 76±4 years, 131±10/74±7; 108 to 149/60
to 89 mm Hg). Older subjects with hypertension were significantly
slower in all tests (reaction time, milliseconds; simple, 346±100
versus 318±56, P<0.05; memory scanning, 867±243 versus
789±159, P<0.01; immediate word recognition, 947±261
versus 886±192, P<0.05; and delayed word recognition,
937±230 versus 856±184, P<0.05; picture recognition,
952±184 versus 894±137, P<0.01; spatial memory, 1390±439
versus 1258±394, P<0.01; excepting choice reaction time,
510±75 versus 498±72, P=0.08). Accuracy was also impaired
in tests of number vigilance, 99.2±2.5% versus 99.9±0.9,
P<0.01; delayed word recognition, 83.5±16 versus
87.9±9.8, P<0.01; and spatial memory 64±32 versus 79±20,
P<0.001. Hypertension in older subjects is associated with
impaired cognition in a broad range of areas in the absence of
clinically evident target organ damage.
Key Words: hypertension, arterial • blood pressure • aging • dementia
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