Scientists have long understood that high blood pressure increases a person’s risk for cognitive decline and dementia. Now, evidence suggests that blood pressure variability carries similar risks. A recent study found that older adults with higher blood pressure variability performed worse on cognitive tests than those with lower variability.

Blood pressure variability occurs in response to various physiological and environmental factors that influence arterial blood pressure. Scientists classify blood pressure variability according to five types: short-term (beat to beat), short-term (24 hours), mid-term (day to day), long-term (less than five years), or very long-term (more than five years). People with high blood pressure tend to have higher variability than those with normal pressure.

Researchers measured the blood pressure of 70 older adults (aged 60 to 80) without dementia over several days. The participants took cognitive tests and underwent tests to determine their arterial stiffness – a well-established cardiovascular risk factor for cognitive impairment and closely linked with high blood pressure.

The researchers found that regardless of the participants' average blood pressure, those with high systolic short-term exhibited poor attention and psychomotor speed, and those with mid-term blood pressure variability showed poor executive function. Those with higher systolic short-term blood pressure variability tended to have higher arterial stiffness.

These findings suggest that higher blood pressure variability influences cognitive function, potentially reflecting early-stage decline better than average blood pressure. They also underscore the importance of maintaining healthy blood pressure throughout the lifespan. Learn how lifetime high blood pressure increases dementia risk in this clip featuring Dr. Axel Montagne.

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