Abstract

There is good evidence that hypertension and impaired cognition are related, and as such poor control of blood pressure is associated with increased prevalence of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Not all antihypertensive medications, however, are equivalent in their positive cognitive effects, with evidence suggesting that some antihypertensives may improve cognition independent of their blood pressure lowering effects. Furthermore angiotensin receptor antagonists have been shown to improve cognition in healthy, young, normotensive volunteers and clinical trials are ongoing to assess the effects of one of these drugs in normotensive elderly volunteers. This session will discuss the evidence underlying these statements and challenge the guidelines for the treatment of hypertension in older patients even before the onset of mild cognitive impairment.