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Age and Ageing, Vol 29, 243-248, Copyright © 2000 by British Geriatrics Society

ARTICLES

The association between low diastolic blood pressure in middle age and cognitive function in old age. A population-based study

L Kilander, H Nyman, M Boberg and H Lithell
Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Geriatrics, Uppsala University Hospital, Box 609, SE-751 25 Uppsala, Sweden; Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden; Corresponding author; Fax: (+46) 18 177976; E-mail: lena.kilander@geriatri.uas.lul.se

Background. Previous longitudinal studies have shown an inverse relation between blood pressure and cognitive function.Objective. To determine the association between mid-life blood pressure and performance in different areas of cognitive function in late life.Subjects and methods. We recruited 502 men, aged 69-74 years, from a population-based cohort in Uppsala, Sweden. Blood pressure had been measured at age 50 and we examined performance in 13 psychometric tests about 20 years later.Results. After the 39 men with a previous stroke had been excluded, there was an inverse relation between diastolic blood pressure at age 50 and performance 20 years later in the digit span test, the trail-making tests and in verbal fluency. The relationships were significant, independently of age, education and previous occupational level. Men with the lowest category of diastolic blood pressure (70 mmHg, n59) showed the best results. Baseline blood pressure levels were not linked to performance in tasks on vocabulary, verbal learning and memory or figure copying.Conclusion. Low blood pressure in mid-life indicates a low long-term cerebrovascular risk and is associated with higher late-life performance in cognitive tests that mainly assess subcortico-frontal cognitive functions.Keywords: blood pressure, cognitive function, risk factor, trail-making test, verbal fluency
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