Can We Escape Stroke and Alzheimer Disease?

Annually, 15 million people worldwide experience a stroke, of which 5 million are fatal and an equal number are left permanently disabled and in need of assistance for activities of daily living. In the United States alone, approximately 700 000 people have a stroke each year, of which 500 000 are first stroke events. Alzheimer disease accounts for 60% to 70% of cases of progressive cognitive impairment in elderly patients in Western societies. The prevalence of Alzheimer disease exceeds 4 million in the United States alone, and each year, 400 000 new cases are diagnosed. Assuming current trends, the numbers are expected to more than triple over the next 50 years.
Seshadri et al also evaluated the lifetime risk of stroke by blood pressure classes, suggesting that lower blood pressure in any age group is associated with lower lifetime risk of stroke, although the effect seems less apparent in older age groups. In contrast, blood pressure categories were not associated with the lifetime risk of dementia/Alzheimer. In other studies, it has been shown that elevated blood pressure in midlife is related to increased risk of Alzheimer disease. However, in late life, the relationship of blood pressure and risk for subsequent Alzheimer disease is controversial.

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