Persistent high blood pressure may increase the risk of dementia, researchers at University College London (UCL) have revealed.
High blood pressure puts extra stress on your arteries and heart, which can lead to strokes and heart attacks.
The study revealed that dementia risk factors related to heart health may have increased over time, compared to other factors.
The research team analyzed 27 research papers, which included people suffering from dementia around the world, with data collected between 1947 and 2015.
The researchers calculated the most common risk factors associated with the development of dementia over time, including genetic and environmental factors, such as high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, education and smoking.
The team found that obesity and diabetes rates increased over time, as did their contribution to the risk of dementia, but lack of education and smoking became less common over the years, and were associated with lower rates of dementia.
The review showed that high blood pressure was the biggest risk factor for dementia.
Lead author Nahid Moghadam, from UCL's Department of Psychiatry, said: "Cardiovascular risk factors may have contributed more to the risk of dementia over time, so more targeted interventions should be introduced to prevent dementia in the future."
She added: “Our results show that education levels have increased over time in many high-income countries, meaning that they have become a less important risk factor for dementia. At the same time, smoking levels have decreased in Europe and the United States.”
She said governments should consider implementing plans such as universal education policies and restrictions on smoking.
It is worth noting that 50 million people around the world are living with dementia now, and by 2050 this number is expected to triple to 152 million, according to Alzheimer’s Research in the United Kingdom.
The study was published in The Lancet Public Health.