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Dizziness in middle age linked to a higher risk of dementia

Dizziness in middle age linked to a higher risk of dementia

If a person feels dizzy in middle age when standing up from a lying-down position, he may be at a higher risk of dementia or a stroke in the future, a US report found.

 

The cause for this dizziness is a sudden drop in blood pressure, which is known as orthostatic hypotension (OH).

 

11,709 participated in the study in the USA, BBC reported. The American Academy of Neurology studied people for an average 25 years as the average age of the participants was 54.

 

Measuring orthostatic hypotension in middle age may be a new way to identify people who need to be carefully monitored for dementia or stroke," study author Andreea Rawlings commented.
 

One limitation of the study was that participants were tested for OH only during the initial examination, so it may not reflect any change in blood pressure over time.

 

Some statistics:
 

Of the total number of 11,709 participants, 1,068 (9.1%) developed dementia and 842 (7.1%) had an ischaemic stroke
Of the 10,527 participants who did not have OH at the time of their initial examination, 9% developed dementia and 6.8% had a stroke
Of the 552 participants who had OH at the time of their initial examination, 12.5% developed dementia and 15.2% had a stroke
 

This study adds to our recognition of low blood pressure as a potential risk factor for dementia in some people”, Dementia UK's chief executive and chief admiral nurse, Dr Hilda Hayo, told the BBC.
 

 

 

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