Memory loss due to high blood pressure

Does high blood pressure affect my kidneys? Can high blood sugar affect your memory? What does having high blood pressure mean for your brain later on? How can high blood pressure lead to vision loss?

The number of adults in the United States with high blood pressure (hypertension) has increased over the last decade.

Memory loss due to hypertension alone is caused by detrimental elements that progress over time, decreasing or halting blood flow to parts of the brain that are critical to its proper function. Brain cells can slowly die due to lack of blood flow, causing a person to experience subtle changes in memory and other cognitive functions. Having high blood pressure is a risk factor for vascular dementia. If you can lower your blood pressure through lifestyle changes and medicines, you can reduce your risk. Vascular dementia is most commonly caused by the effects of a stroke.

You can lower your risk of a stroke by keeping your blood pressure and cholesterol levels down. Even worse, the consequences of untreated high blood pressure can be catastrophic – stroke, heart attack, congestive heart failure, kidney failure – the list goes on and on. But, what about when high blood pressure is treated?

Do blood pressure medications cause memory loss ? Damage to the blood vessels is common in people with diabetes. How they can cause memory loss : Drugs that lower blood levels of cholesterol may impair memory and other mental processes by depleting brain levels of cholesterol as well. In the brain, these lipids are vital to the formation of connections between nerve cells — the links underlying memory and learning. Decrease your use of nonprescription medicines. Overuse of medicines may be the single biggest cause of memory loss or confusion in older adults.

Untreated high blood pressure can cause memory problems and affect problem-solving abilities. Sleeping Aids (Nonbenzodiazepine sedative-hypnotics) Examples: eszopiclone (Lunesta), zaleplon (Sonata) and zolpidem (Ambien) These meds may help you sleep, but just like antianxiety drugs, their method of action can restrict the interaction between short-term and long-term memory. Is High Blood Pressure Causing Your Parents’ Memory Problems ? It’s normal to worry about dementia if your parents are having memory lapses, but there are other health issues that can affect memory and judgment, and high blood pressure is one of them. Memory loss that begins suddenly or that significantly interferes with your ability to function in daily life may mean a more serious problem is present.

Dementia is a slow decline in memory , problem-solving ability, learning ability, and judgment that may occur over several weeks to several months. High blood pressure is a common condition in which the long-term force of the blood against your artery walls is high enough that it may eventually cause health problems, such as heart disease. Blood pressure is determined both by the amount of blood your heart pumps and the amount of resistance to blood flow in your arteries. Memory loss is now required to be listed as a side effect on the label of statin cholesterol-lowering drugs like Lipitor and Crestor.

When researchers examined the medical records of nearly a million people, they found that statin use increased the risk of memory loss four-fold.

When you eat a heart-healthy diet that is low in saturated fat, you reduce your risk for high blood pressure , diabetes, and obesity, all of which are believed to contribute to memory loss. The tricky thing about high blood pressure is that it usually doesn’t have any symptoms. This is why it’s known as a “silent killer.

The only way to ascertain whether you have high blood pressure is to take a blood pressure test. There are a number of treatments for high blood pressure , ranging from lifestyle changes to weight loss to medication. Doctors will determine the plan based on your level of high blood pressure and. Systemic hypotension with reduced cerebral blood flow may give rise to ischemic neuronal damage in vulnerable areas of the brain, especially in watershed areas, and may further lead to ischemic loss of myelin in the white matter. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to disability, a poor quality of life, or even a fatal heart attack or stroke.

Low blood pressure has been reported to trigger brain damage and cognitive impairment. Treatment and lifestyle changes can help control your high blood pressure to reduce your risk of life-threatening complications.