BLOOD PRESSURE TREATMENT LINKED TO LOWER DEMENTIA RISK
A large study conducted in rural China suggests that intensive treatment of high blood pressure could help reduce the risk of dementia, providing new evidence that controlling a common cardiovascular risk factor may also protect long-term brain health.
Researchers found that adults who received structured, community-based blood pressure management had a 15 percent lower risk of developing dementia over seven years compared with those who received standard care. The findings, presented in a Hot Line session at the ESC Congress 2026, come as dementia rates are projected to rise dramatically worldwide, from 57 million people in 2019 to 153 million by 2050.
Known as the China Rural Hypertension Control Program (CRHCP), the study was led by researchers Professor Yingxian Sun and Dr. Shanshan Zhong from The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China. It included 33,995 adults from 326 rural villages across China. Participants were aged 40 and older, with an average age of 63, and 61 percent were women. All had elevated blood pressure that met the study’s eligibility criteria.
Investigators compared two different approaches to blood pressure management. One group received usual care, while the intervention group participated in an intensive treatment program delivered by trained community healthcare providers who were not physicians. These providers worked under the supervision of primary care doctors and followed a structured treatment plan that included starting medications when necessary and adjusting them over time.
The goal was to help participants reach blood pressure targets below 130 mmHg systolic and below 80 mmHg diastolic.
The program involved four years of active treatment followed by an additional three years of observation, for a total follow-up period of seven years.
By the end of the study, participants in the intensive-treatment group achieved substantially larger reductions in blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure fell by 17.6 mmHg on average among those receiving the intervention, compared with a reduction of just 2.4 mmHg in the usual-care group.
Researchers also found significant differences in cognitive outcomes.
After seven years, dementia developed in 8.85 percent of participants in the intervention group, compared with 10.55 percent in the usual-care group, representing a 15 percent lower risk among those receiving intensive blood pressure treatment.
The benefits extended beyond dementia diagnoses alone. Participants in the intervention group also experienced a 13 percent lower risk of cognitive impairment without dementia.
Serious adverse events were also slightly less common among participants receiving intensive treatment. Such events occurred in 47.15 percent of the intervention group compared with 49.78 percent of those receiving standard care.
The researchers concluded that a community-based program using trained nonphysician healthcare providers can produce substantial and lasting reductions in blood pressure while lowering dementia risk. They suggested that similar approaches could potentially be implemented on a larger scale through routine primary care systems.
The findings add to growing evidence linking cardiovascular health and brain health, reinforcing the idea that preventing or treating modifiable risk factors may offer one of the most practical strategies for reducing the future burden of dementia.
Dr. Spencer Kroll, of The Kroll Medical Group, said the results reflect a broader shift in the way hypertension treatment is viewed.
“Several large-scale clinical findings have shifted hypertension management from a preventative strategy for cardiovascular health to a primary, population-level defense against cognitive decline,” Kroll told Newsweek.
With dementia cases rising around the world, he said community-led efforts aimed at improving blood pressure control could have far-reaching public health implications.
Kroll noted, however, that several questions remain unanswered. Because many large community studies are carried out in specific demographic or rural populations, researchers still need to determine how effectively similar interventions could be translated to urban environments and more diverse healthcare systems.
He also pointed to ongoing research into whether certain blood pressure medications may offer additional protection for the brain and whether the optimal blood pressure targets for cognitive health are the same as those used for cardiovascular protection.
“Follow-up over decades will be necessary to see whether the full lifetime trajectory of dementia postponement remains,” Kroll said.
For patients with high blood pressure, the study’s findings highlight the potential importance of sustained blood pressure control. Kroll said achieving lower blood pressure goals may sometimes require higher medication doses or combinations of medications, while adherence to prescribed treatment and lifestyle changes remains critical.
“Strictly adhering to prescribed medications and lifestyle changes is vital, as well as consistency of taking medication,” he said. “Relying on home monitoring to keep blood pressure stably controlled over the years protects both a patient’s heart and, now, likely long-term cognitive health.”
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Kara Dolman and Emma Lee-Sang
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2026-09-01T16:13:21Z