Hypertension-induced subclinical vascular and cognitive changes are reversible-An observational cohort study

Long-term effect of masked hypertension management on cognitive functions in geriatric age: geriatric MASked hypertension and cognition follow-up study (G-MASH-cog MONITOR)

OBJECTIVES

Masked hypertension, defined as nonelevated clinic blood pressure with elevated out of clinic blood pressure, has been associated with increased cardiovascular events, mortality and cognitive impairment. No evidence exists regarding the effect of treating masked hypertension. In this study, we followed-up the patients in the G-MASH-cog study for 1 year and aimed to examine the effect of the management of masked hypertension on cognitive functions.

METHODS

The G-MASH-cog study participants were followed-up for 1 year. In masked hypertensive individuals, lifestyle modification and antihypertensive treatment (perindopril or amlodipine) were initiated for blood pressure control. Measurements of cognitive tests and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring at baseline and at 1-year follow-up were compared.

RESULTS

A total of 61 patients (30 in masked hypertension group; 31 in normotensive group) were included. Mean age was 72.3 ± 5.1 and 59% of the participants were female. Compared with baseline ambulatory blood pressure measurement results, patients with masked hypertension had significantly lower ambulatory blood pressure measurement results after 1-year follow-up. The quick mild cognitive impairment test (Q-MCI-TR) score increased with antihypertensive treatment (Q-MCI score at baseline = 41(19-66.5), at 1 year = 45.5 (22-70), P = 0.005) in masked hypertensive patients. In the final model of the mixed-effects analysis, when adjusted for covariates, interaction effect of the masked hypertension treatment with time was only significant in influencing the changes in Q-MCI scores over time in patients aged between 65 and 74 years (P = 0.002).

CONCLUSIONS

Treatment of masked hypertension in older adults was associated with improvement in cognitive functions.

Influence of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition on reversibility of alterations in arterial wall and cognitive performance associated with early hypertension: A follow-up study

The importance of optimal blood pressure control for preventing or reducing the impairment of vascular and cognitive functions is well known. However, the reversibility of early alterations in vascular and cognitive functions through antihypertensive agents is under-investigated. In this study, we evaluated the influence of 3 months of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition treatment on the morphological and functional arterial wall and cognitive performance changes in 30 newly diagnosed primary hypertensive patients.Common carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) were detected by ultrasonography. Arterial stiffness indicated by augmentation index (AIx) and pulse wave velocity (PWV) was assessed by arteriography. Cognitive functions were assessed by neuropsychological examination.The executive function overall score was significantly higher at 3-month follow-up than at baseline (median, 0.233 (IQR, 0.447) vs -0.038 (0.936); P = .001). Three-month ACE inhibition did not produce significant improvement in IMT, FMD, AIx and PWV values. Significant negative associations were revealed between IMT and complex attention (r = -0.598, P = .0008), executive function (r = -0.617, P = .0005), and immediate memory (r = -0.420, P = .026) overall scores at follow-up. AIx had significant negative correlations with complex attention (r = -0.568, P = .001), executive function (r = -0.374, P = .046), and immediate memory (r = -0.507, P = .005). PWV correlated significantly and negatively with complex attention (r = -0.490, P = .007).Timely and effective antihypertensive therapy with ACE inhibitors has significant beneficial effects on cognitive performance in as few as 3 months. Early ACE inhibition may have an important role in the reversal of initial impairments of cognitive function associated with hypertension-induced vascular alterations.