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High blood pressure may contribute to cognitive decline

nih.gov

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Re: High blood pressure may contribute to cognitive decline

#41

Post by garganzol »

arcticbull wrote: post #17
TeMPOraL wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Cause" is the literal opposite of "consequence", unless you're postulating a feedback loop.

Depends how you read the line. If you read it this way, they are the same. > "High blood pressure may be not [be] a cause of cognitive decline, but [cognitive decline may] just [be] a consequence [of high blood pressure]." The other interpretation makes less sense. > "High blood pressure may be not a cause of cognitive decline, but just a consequence [of cognitive decline]." The implication here is that cognitive dec…

The implication is that a dying brain (= cognitive decline) initiates a flight or fight response which includes adrenaline flare ups and high blood pressure as a result.

Re: High blood pressure may contribute to cognitive decline

#42

Post by garganzol »

_zoltan_ wrote: post #16
garganzol wrote: post #11

High blood pressure may be not a cause of cognitive decline, but just a consequence. This is what happens in malnutrition. Absence of nutrients and coenzymes (vitamins) leads to energy deficit and results in cellular damage, nervous system tries to compensate that by increasing blood flow, so it induces high blood pressure to have better chances of survival with increased blood perfusion and substrates delivery rate…

can you elaborate on the salt part? are those good or bad consequences?

A body functions correctly only when electrolytes (potassium, sodium, etc.) are in their normal ranges. Any overflow or underflow out of the corresponding range causes a derangement of biological processes (= bad consequences).

Re: High blood pressure may contribute to cognitive decline

#43

Post by theGnuMe »

iamdbtoo wrote: post #26

This is very related to a theory I have that as my blood pressure has gotten higher over the years my ADHD also gets more difficult to manage. Guanfacine has also helped my symptoms more than anything and it was first brought to market as a blood pressure medication.

This is fascinating as adhd stimulants usually raise blood pressure. I am going through the adhd diagnosis process and take a bp med.. maybe I can get guanfacine.

Re: High blood pressure may contribute to cognitive decline

#44

Post by apwell23 »

garganzol wrote: post #11

High blood pressure may be not a cause of cognitive decline, but just a consequence. This is what happens in malnutrition. Absence of nutrients and coenzymes (vitamins) leads to energy deficit and results in cellular damage, nervous system tries to compensate that by increasing blood flow, so it induces high blood pressure to have better chances of survival with increased blood perfusion and substrates delivery rate…

So if you have low stomach acid that prevents nutrient absorption then you might get high blood pressure ?

All these years they've been telling us some BS about eating salt and such. No one knows anything about how exactly human body works and all the parts that interconnected to each other. Even today we have specialists that treat a specific condition, a cardiologist doesn't look at GI issues. If you are going to a hospital to "treat" your chronic condition then you've already lost the battle. Once they've ruled out very obvious things like infection and such, you are pretty much on your own.

Re: High blood pressure may contribute to cognitive decline

#45

Post by c_o_n_v_e_x »

iamdbtoo wrote: post #26

This is very related to a theory I have that as my blood pressure has gotten higher over the years my ADHD also gets more difficult to manage. Guanfacine has also helped my symptoms more than anything and it was first brought to market as a blood pressure medication.

I have elevated blood pressure and what I suspect to be an undiagnosed case of ADHD. I've never made the connection until reading your comment. I thought perhaps it's just been years of doomscrolling that has destroyed my attention span. Maybe both?

I routinely get blood pressure spikes in the late afternoons. It's hard to describe but when it happens I feel like I need my vision to "zoom out", it's almost overwhelming / fatiguing to maintain what I'm looking at. I feel "spaced out" cognitively when this happens.

Re: High blood pressure may contribute to cognitive decline

#46

Post by c_o_n_v_e_x »

copperx wrote: post #38
iamdbtoo wrote: post #26

This is very related to a theory I have that as my blood pressure has gotten higher over the years my ADHD also gets more difficult to manage. Guanfacine has also helped my symptoms more than anything and it was first brought to market as a blood pressure medication.

I'm another data point that confirms this. ADHD has become harder to manage close to when I was diagnosed with hypertension, almost to the point of complete executive dysfunction. Guanfacine helps significantly. I'm also on BP medication, and if I miss a couple of doses and my BP rises, it becomes impossible to think clearly. So the link to cognitive decline seems unsurprising to me.

>complete executive dysfunction

Could you describe that more? As in the sensation?

Re: High blood pressure may contribute to cognitive decline

#47

Post by copperx »

c_o_n_v_e_x wrote: post #46
copperx wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm another data point that confirms this. ADHD has become harder to manage close to when I was diagnosed with hypertension, almost to the point of complete executive dysfunction. Guanfacine helps significantly. I'm also on BP medication, and if I miss a couple of doses and my BP rises, it becomes impossible to think clearly. So the link to cognitive decline seems unsurprising to me.

>complete executive dysfunction Could you describe that more? As in the sensation?

It's a complete inability to direct myself to do a task, even when it is extremely simple. For example, paying a bill, or responding to a text message. I want to do it, but the task seems insurmountable. I eventually complete the tasks by sheer attrition, but it feels like I'm walking over hot coals. Guanfacine helps significantly.

Re: High blood pressure may contribute to cognitive decline

#48

Post by atlgator »

Rastonbury wrote: post #37
atlgator wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But they didn't reduce the hypertension metabolically. They just treated it directly with hypertension drugs. This suggests hypertension could just be a symptom (along with cognitive decline) caused by something else.

You are just speculating btw, a lot of people have primary hypertension with no apparent cause. Bodies are like that or there is some mystery ailment no one has ever been able to pinpoint, it's a leap to speculate that some hidden cause is also linked to cognitive decline. Other causes of hypertension are very well known

"No apparent cause." That doesn't mean there is no cause. Doctors just don't know what it is in that case, which is my point. It's the same with cholesterol levels now. It used to be you got high cholesterol "from eating too much cholesterol" until they realized some people just have high cholesterol regardless of what they eat. So they continue to seek a cause.

Re: High blood pressure may contribute to cognitive decline

#49

Post by pstuart »

hirvi74 wrote: post #34
pstuart wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exercise, which will help prevent it.

Try to exercise, play sports, and receive multiple mTBI. Maybe I should have stayed sedentary?

Exercise is safe, sports vary in risk and those risks are readily apparent. Maybe just stick to exercise?

Re: High blood pressure may contribute to cognitive decline

#50

Post by iamdbtoo »

brainbag wrote: post #35
iamdbtoo wrote: post #26

This is very related to a theory I have that as my blood pressure has gotten higher over the years my ADHD also gets more difficult to manage. Guanfacine has also helped my symptoms more than anything and it was first brought to market as a blood pressure medication.

Do you have any more information about this? It would explain the challenge I've been experiencing as I enter my early 40s with a family history of hypertension; my blood pressure has been going up, which makes sense, but my ADHD has also been getting harder to manage, which doesn't.

Sorry for the late response, but I don't have any more information about it as it's mostly anecdotal based on my experience. The best explanation I have come up with is the high blood pressure lowers the amount of oxygenated blood in the brain making it harder to produce dopamine, which it is already struggling to do.
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