Study involving approximately 2,600 people... Greater fluctuations in blood sugar and blood pressure linked to cognitive decline

(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Seong Seo-ho

 

A study has shown that managing blood sugar and blood pressure to prevent severe fluctuations can help prevent cognitive decline and dementia.

 

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's National Institute of Health on the 22nd, Professor Seo Sang-won of the Department of Neurology at Samsung Seoul Hospital analyzed the effects of blood sugar and blood pressure variability on cognitive function in over 2,600 individuals without dementia and derived these results.

Research findings showed that as blood glucose variability increased, that is, as the ability to control blood sugar decreased, demyelination of the cerebral white matter occurred and amyloid protein accumulation increased.

 

Small blood vessels spread throughout the cerebral white matter are damaged, and this condition is called white matter degeneration. Generally, the greater the degeneration, the higher the risk of developing dementia and stroke.

 

When abnormalities in the tau protein, which accumulates excessively in the brain and plays a crucial role in maintaining the skeleton of nerve cells, overlap, it leads to the destruction of nerve cells and cognitive dysfunction.

Blood sugar levels fluctuate due to irregular eating habits or high carbohydrate and simple sugar intake, which can potentially impair cognitive function.

Professor Seo's team also confirmed the relationship between blood pressure variability and cognitive function.

Research findings showed that greater variability in systolic and diastolic blood pressure was associated with increased tau accumulation, and particularly, larger fluctuations in diastolic blood pressure led to atrophy in the hippocampus, a brain region responsible for long-term memory regulation.

Professor Seo emphasized, "Effective blood pressure control is necessary to prevent dementia," and added, "Dementia can also be prevented through blood sugar regulation."

 

According to the National Medical Center's Central Dementia Center, the average dementia prevalence rate in our country is 10.4%, and as of 2022, the estimated number of dementia patients among the elderly population aged 65 and older is approximately 935,000.

 

A total of 14,136 people died from dementia in 2022, a 36.6% increase compared to the previous year.

The dementia mortality rate is 27.6 per 100,000 people, an increase of 7.4.

 

The annual management cost per dementia patient is estimated to be approximately 22.2 million won. Direct medical expenses, including medical costs and medication expenses (53.3%), accounted for the largest proportion.

 

The annual medical expense per dementia patient is approximately 2.8 million won.

 

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These days, dementia tests seem different from before.

Just by properly managing two things: blood sugar and blood pressure,

You can prevent dementia~