Navigating the Impact of High Blood Pressure on Your Brain Health

Most of us think that high blood pressure is a heart problem. However, it not only affects your heart health but also raises your risk for cognitive decline and brain strokes. ⁽¹⁾ Read further to know more about high blood pressure and how it affects your brain.

High blood pressure or hypertension affects nearly one in two Americans and has been a contributing cause of death in the United States. ⁽²⁾ Several genetic and environmental factors are involved with the development of high blood pressure, including genetics, stress, and diet. High blood pressure, also known as “the silent killer”, often carries no warning signs but can drastically raise your risk of having a heart attack or brain stroke.

Let us learn about high blood pressure and the heart-brain connection.

The higher the number, the harder your heart has to work to pump blood around your body and the more the chances of damage it can cause to the heart muscle.  Since all parts of your body depend on circulation, it can harm your arteries and also the vital organs like the brain, kidneys, and eyes.

High blood pressure damages the tiny blood vessels in the parts of your brain responsible for memory and cognition, significantly increasing the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. In addition to this, when you are diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, it can affect your outlook and make you more susceptible to depression and anxiety. Thus, blood pressure might impact your mood and the reverse is also possible.

Stress increases your body’s production of hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which in turn, increases your blood pressure. Even isolating yourself from loved ones (a common symptom of anxiety and depression) can also raise your blood pressure and damage your cardiovascular health.

High blood pressure affects the brain in several ways. Some of those ways are:

High blood pressure is a major cause of brain strokes and studies have shown that it raises the risk of a stroke by 220% ^{(3, 4)} and stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability. ⁽⁵⁾ With high blood pressure, arteries weaken and cause blood vessels to be more likely to clog or burst. When an artery is blocked, a lacunar infarction occurs and when the blood vessels burst, an intracerebral hemorrhage occurs. As there is a dysregulation in the supply of blood and oxygen, the brain becomes more vulnerable to ischemic insults. ⁽⁶⁾ High blood pressure causes damage to small resistance arteries, which supply nutrients to the internal capsule, thalamus, cerebellum, and basal ganglia, and results in cell death and tissue degeneration.

Blood clots also accelerate arteriosclerosis, which thickens and hardens arteries. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for brain stroke, and tissue damage caused due to a stroke is a big risk factor for cognitive decline. Controlling blood pressure and making specific changes to the lifestyle can help in stroke prevention.

Vascular dementia is characterized by ischemic infarcts, white matter lesions, cerebral hemorrhages, BBB dysfunction, and microvascular degeneration. ⁽⁷⁾ As blood vessels in the brain damage, vascular dementia starts developing, preventing brain cells from receiving essential nutrients. High blood pressure alters the vasculature of the brain through inadequate blood flow, causing changes in the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and cerebral blood flow and ultimately, weakening the structures and functions of the brain.

Various longitudinal and cross-sectional studies have found that high blood pressure is a prevalent risk factor for vascular dementia in participants between the ages of 58 to 90 years. ⁽⁷⁾

Although there are no direct correlations between high blood pressure and its link with Alzheimer’s disease, chronic hypertension is linked with white matter lesions, neurotic plaques, lacunar infarcts, and neurofibrillary tangles, which are all pathological features of Alzheimer’s disease.

Multiple studies show correlations between high blood pressure and cognitive decline, some studies state that blood pressure is not associated with cognitive function. ⁽⁸⁾

Research has shown that lowering the blood pressure by even 10 mm/Hg decreases the risk of stroke by 44%. It has also shown that lowering blood pressure also reduces the risk of vascular dementia. You can lower your blood pressure by following ways.

• Eat a healthy diet: A diet that is low in salt, sugar, and fat are considered to be healthy and helps in lowering your blood pressure.
• Exercise Regularly: Strengthening your heart and arteries through exercise can lower your blood pressure.
• Reduce Stress: Stress can increase your blood pressure. Thus it is essential to find several ways to manage your stress levels.
• Quit Smoking: Smoking damages your arteries and raises your risk of developing high blood pressure. So, you should quit smoking to lower your risk of high blood pressure.

High blood pressure is a serious condition that can not only impact heart health but also cause severe damage to brain health, leading to stroke, mental decline, and dementia. You should keep your blood pressure under control and protect your brain.

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