Researchers have discovered a link between hypertension and decreased cognitive function.
+ Technology/Innovation
Jamie Barrand | Feb 5, 2016

Mind Your Risks campaign addresses link between high blood pressure, decreased brain function

Researchers have discovered that not only can hypertension, or high blood pressure, put patients at risk of stroke -- it may also contribute to decreased cognitive function and possibly even dementia.

To increase awareness of this, officials from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) have developed Mind Your Risks, a campaign to educate people on the dangers of high blood pressure and ways to keep it under control.

“We hope that this campaign will lead people to think about how they can decrease their chances of developing dementia later in life,” NINDS Director Dr. Walter Koroshetz said. “The Mind Your Risks campaign will offer some concrete prevention steps. Controlling hypertension is at the top of the list.”

For the initiative, NINDS is collaborating with a program called Million Hearts, part of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Assistance for the program is coming from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, the National Institute of Health's National Institute on Aging and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

More information about Mind Your Risks is available online at www.mindyourrisks.nih.gov.

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