No associations between blood pressure and brain volumes in a convenience sample of Hispanic/Latino middle-aged and older adults.

BACKGROUND

High blood pressure (BP) is a known risk factor for dementia, but the relationships between BP and gross brain volumes are mixed and are understudied in groups who are at particularly high risk for dementia, such as Hispanic/Latino adults. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the relationships between BP and brain volumes, among Hispanic/Latino older adults.

METHODS

Participants included 122 cognitively healthy Hispanic/Latino late middle-aged and older adults ages (mean age = 73.48 years, SD = 7.32) from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center. Data were collected from 2005 to 2024 from 20 Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers. BP measures included systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP), and pulse pressure (PP). Brain outcomes included total, hippocampal, gray matter, and white matter hyperintensity volumes. Covariates included age, sex, Hispanic/Latino heritage, hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, body mass index, hypotensive status, and smoking status.

RESULTS

No BP measure was significantly associated with brain outcomes (all p > 0.05).

DISCUSSION: Overall, we found no relationships between BP measures and brain volumes in this sample of late middle-aged and older Hispanic/Latino adults. Our findings warrant longitudinal studies to better characterize the relationships between BP and other cardiovascular disease risk factors with brain health in this population.