High blood pressure linked to degenerative diseases in Black Americans

A new research study found that Black Americans diagnosed with diabetes and hypertension in midlife had significantly higher levels of a dementia-related biomarker more than a decade later. The study followed more than 250 participants with high blood pressure, diabetes or both conditions. The researchers found that while one diagnosis alone did not indicate a dramatic neurological effect, having both led to striking results:

“This matters. This study shows that chronic conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes, especially when combined together, might start damaging the brain earlier than we thought, especially for this group,” said Rachael Weaver, corresponding author of the study and a graduate student in the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences department of sociology.

“When these two conditions show up together in midlife, they might start a chain reaction leading to brain aging even as much as a decade later.”

Those with diabetes and hypertension at midlife had elevated levels of a biomarker of dementia. Both of these diagnoses not only contributed to higher amounts of that biomarker but also a greater increase of it over an 11-year period.

“The study sends a clear message: Taking steps early to control high blood pressure and diabetes may help protect African Americans from brain degeneration and lower their risk of dementia later in life,” said Karlo Lei, co-author of the study and an associate professor in the Franklin College department of sociology.

The findings suggest that health practitioners should place a higher focus on cardiovascular health as an indicator of dementia risk, especially among Black Americans, the researchers said.

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Image: photo via Getty Images.