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Alzheimer's heart problems link

06/11/2007

Progress of Alzheimer's disease is likely to be quicker in people with high blood pressure, chest pains or irregular heartbeat, researchers claim today.

The finding is said to be significant as it suggests that treating these conditions could help to slow memory loss in people with the form of dementia.

About 700,000 people are estimated to have dementia in the UK, with Alzheimer's being the most common form.

Researchers from John Hopkins University school of medicine studied 135 people aged over 65 who were newly diagnosed with Alzheimer's and who had undergone memory tests for an average of three years.

Writing in the journal Neurology, they say that ten people with high blood pressure at the time of diagnosis showed a memory rate loss almost twice as fast those with normal blood pressure.

Irregular heartbeats and chest pains due to a lack of blood supply in the heart were also associated with a more rapid decline on cognitive tests.

"The possibility that specific vascular conditions may affect how fast a person with Alzheimer's disease declines provides new opportunities for slowing the rate of [disease] progression," said study author Dr Michelle Mielke.

"Treatments for atrial fibrillation and high blood pressure are relatively inexpensive and safe and may reduce memory decline in Alzheimer's disease patients with these conditions."