Hypertension and Cognitive Decline in 65 to 85 Year-Old Adults

• Main Author: Alvarez, Ramon De Jesus
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01.01.2022
• Subjects: Aging; Clinical psychology
• ISBN: 9798438746331

Hypertension is a leading cause of death worldwide; however, to prevent and control this disease, information about risk factors, their consequences and appropriate treatment is required. Substantial evidence has been found about hypertension’s role in systemic cardiovascular diseases (CDC, 2016). Hypertension is related to dementia, which increases with age and is an important public health challenge (CDC, 2018). In support of this claim, Cerebral Small Vessel Disease is found in CT and MRI scans of older people, which is also a neurological marker of hypertension associated with vascular dementia and cognitive impairment (Gasecki et al. 2013). A number of reviews of the empirical literature suggest that vascular risk factors (VRF) associated with poor cognitive performance are modifiable (hypertension, tobacco use, diabetes, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, hypercholesterolemia, overweight/obesity) while others are not (family history, gender, age) (Martins et al. 2017). The present study analyzed public data collected by the National Center for Health Statistics (NHIS), and its hypotheses were postulated as the result of an extensive literature review. This secondary data analysis was conducted on a CDC dataset extracted from the NHIS public data and exported to the statistical software SPSS, Version 28.0.0.0. Descriptive statistics, Binary Logistic Regression Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and factorial ANOVA were the statistical analyses used in this study. Their results showed that inappropriate hypertension management is related to HBP reports among 65 to 85-year-old individuals with a diagnosis of hypertension. Hypertensive participants showed significantly more signs of cognitive decline than non-hypertensive participants of the same age. In conclusion, the overall findings of this study point at hypertension as a potential trigger for cognitive deterioration in 65 to 85-year-old adults. If hypertension is not controlled appropriately, it can elevate to high hypertension stages or even hypertensive crisis. Human service providers must be aware of the importance of educating clients about hypertension control. Both education and consistent monitoring of the hypertensive patient are important guidelines to encourage better pharmacotherapy adherence, diet, and lifestyle recommendations.