HypertensionCohort study
Dementia risk across blood pressure categories: a South Korean nationwide study
- Retrospective cohort study
- nationwide
Authors' conclusion
Based on the 2024 ESC BP classification, both elevated BP and hypertension were associated with an increased risk of dementia, especially VaD.
Study context
- Population
- Korean adults aged ≥40 years who underwent health screening in 2009, without prior dementia121,223 dementia cases
- Participants
- 2.8 million adults
- Exposure
- Elevated blood pressure (BP) and hypertension vs non-elevated BP
- Outcome
- Incident dementia (AD dementia, vascular dementia (VaD), all-cause dementia)
- Follow-up
- Mean 8.1 years
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
All-cause dementia
Each group vs non-elevated BPAdjusted hazard ratio (95% CI)
Elevated BP
1.016(0.996–1.037)
Hypertension
1.029(1.006–1.051)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | aHR |
|---|---|
| VaD — Elevated BP vs Non-elevated BP | 1.159 |
| VaD — Hypertension vs Non-elevated BP | 1.372 |
Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia
- Associations not significant for AD dementia
Dementia, by age and sex (subgroups)
- Associations more pronounced among midlife adults and women
Original publication
Dementia risk across blood pressure categories: a South Korean nationwide study. Eur Heart J. Published 30 October 2025. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf840
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it