Published online Nov 19, 2023. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v13.i11.872
Peer-review started: August 30, 2023
First decision: September 13, 2023
Revised: September 18, 2023
Accepted: October 23, 2023
Article in press: October 23, 2023
Published online: November 19, 2023
Cognitive impairment is a highly harmful disease for which there is no perfect treatment. Early detection and treatment are the main focus of related research. Variation in blood pressure has been correlated with cognitive impairment in previous studies; however, few studies have examined subtle cognitive decline.
Our purpose was to analyze the influencing factors for subtle cognitive decline (SCD) and find a simple and effective index through which to assess cognitive decline that can be used to guide clinical work.
The study aimed to determine whether blood pressure variability (BPV) leads to cognitive impairment. The results showed that an increase in BPV is independently related to SCD and that BPV may be used as a tool for evaluating cognitive impairment and the effectiveness of treatment.
We used a standard neuropsychological scale to evaluate cognitive function and retrospectively analyzed the correlation between BPV and SCD.
The results show that increased BPV may be a factor leading to cognitive decline. The results of such studies are rare; however, the sample size is not sufficiently large, and no further research has been carried out to determine whether it can be used as an index to analyze the effectiveness of treatment.
This study demonstrates that BPV is a clinical indicator of early cognitive decline. In this study, 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring test was used as an index from which to calculate BPV, one that is simple, effective, and can be readily used in primary healthcare institutions.
Long-term follow-ups should be considered in the future to further the collective comprehension of the correlation between BPV and cognitive decline and the progress of cognitive impairment as well as to estimate the benefits of improving BPV in the treatment of cognitive impairment.