Can High Blood Pressure Cause Alzheimer's?

Already responsible for heart attacks and strokes, experts now reveal our brains could also be at risk from hypertension

- Natalia Lubomirski

Do you know your number? no, not your bra size or amount of Facebook friends. we’re talking about your blood pressure. However boring this may sound,knowing your stats is key for staying healthy. already associated with heart attacks and strokes, a new study from Chicago has now linked high blood pressure to dementia, too.

A growing problem

These new studies are particularly concerning when looking at the whopping 16 million people currently living with high blood pressure in the UK. And another 11 million people could be at risk. ‘For every 10 people diagnosed with hypertension (high blood pressure), a further seven remain undiagnosed,’ warns Dr Sarah Brewer, author of Overcoming High Blood Pressure.

Finding a link

Until recently, unhealthy blood pressure levels have been known to cause vascular dementia. Affecting 150,000 people in the UK, it’s caused when blood vessels supplying the brain become blocked or narrowed, often after a stroke (where blood supply to the brain is suddenly cut off).