Age of onset of hypertension and risk of dementia in the oldest-old: The 90+ Study

María M. Corrada, Kathleen M. Hayden, Annlia Paganini-Hill, Szofia S. Bullain, Jaime DeMoss, Colette Aguirre, Ron Brookmeyer, Claudia H. Kawas

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

66 Scopus citations

Abstract

Introduction We investigated the association between age of onset of hypertension and dementia risk in an oldest-old cohort. Methods Participants are from The 90+ Study, a population-based longitudinal study of people aged 90+ who are survivors from the Leisure World Cohort Study. We estimated hypertension onset age using self-reported information from The 90+ Study and Leisure World Cohort Study, collected about 20 years earlier. A total of 559 participants without dementia were followed every 6 months for up to 10 years. Results A total of 224 participants developed dementia during follow-up (mean = 2.8 years). Compared with those without hypertension, participants whose hypertension onset age was 80 to 89 years had a lower dementia risk (hazard ratio = 0.58, P = .04) and participants with an onset age of 90+ years had the lowest risk (hazard ratio = 0.37, P = .004). Discussion Developing hypertension at older ages may protect against dementia. Understanding the mechanisms for this lower risk is important for determining ways to prevent dementia in the very elderly.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)103-110
Number of pages8
JournalAlzheimer's and Dementia
Volume13
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 1 2017

Keywords

  • Blood pressure
  • Dementia
  • Epidemiology
  • Hypertension
  • Oldest-old
  • Risk factors

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Epidemiology
  • Health Policy
  • Developmental Neuroscience
  • Clinical Neurology
  • Geriatrics and Gerontology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health
  • Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

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