RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Blood pressure and the brain: the neurology of hypertension
JF Practical Neurology
JO Pract Neurol
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP 100
OP 108
DO 10.1136/practneurol-2019-002269
VO 20
IS 2
A1 Dearbhla M Kelly
A1 Peter M Rothwell
YR 2020
UL http://pn.bmj.com/content/20/2/100.abstract
AB Hypertension affects more than one in four adults. The brain is an early target of hypertension-induced organ damage, and may manifest as stroke, subclinical cerebrovascular abnormalities and dementia. Hypertension-related small vessel disease can cause vascular dementia and can potentiate Alzheimer’s pathology, lowering the threshold at which signs and symptoms manifest. Many hypertensive emergencies may also have a neurological presentation, such as hypertensive encephalopathy, haemorrhagic stroke or pre-eclampsia. Here we highlight the importance of blood pressure in maintaining brain health and the brain’s role in controlling blood pressure.