A European study is looking at the relationship between high blood pressure and dementia. It seems that people with hypertension are more likely to develop cognitive impairment ('fuzzy thinking'). And these people may subsequently be afflicted by dementia, after a period varying from a few years to several decades. However, there is preliminary evidence that antihypertensive drug treatment may reduce the likelihood of these events.

The investigators caution that these observations need to be confirmed by formal studies. Meanwhile, it seems that this finding makes it even more important to take your antihypertensive medication as prescribed and follow other recommendations to keep your blood pressure in your target range.