The decline in mental functioning associated with increasing blood pressure that has been documented in older adults also applies to people in their 20s and 30s, according to a report in the medical journal Hypertension.

“We need to be concerned about blood pressure effects on (mental) performance in older people, but we also need to be concerned about the relationship between blood pressure over time and the change in (mental performance) in younger people,” study co-author Dr. Merrill F. Elias, from the University of Maine in Orono, said in a statement.

Dr. Elias’ team assessed the link between blood pressure and mental decline in 529 subjects who were followed for 20 years. The subjects were divided into two groups based on age: those between 18 and 46 years (285) and those between 47 and 83 years (244). Mental performance was assessed at multiple points during follow-up.

The researchers found that the subjects’ initial blood pressures were inversely related to mental performance over time. Moreover, the degree of blood pressure-related mental decline was similar for both age groups.

The findings emphasize the importance of treating high blood pressure promptly, Elias pointed out. “We shouldn’t hesitate to treat younger people,” he added.

SOURCE: Hypertension 2004.