The dangers of high blood pressure are widely known in the medical community. High blood pressure drastically increases the risk for stroke and heart disease. However, a new study has shed some light on the potential dangers of low blood pressure in aged populations.

Research indicates that people who develop low blood pressure late in life are at greater risk for developing dementia. This appears to be especially true for people who had high blood pressure during their middle aged years.

As a person ages, blood pressure tends to decline and those diagnosed with some form of dementia frequently are diagnosed with low blood pressure as well. Though no studies have been done to confirm an interaction between these two diagnoses, experts speculate that the effects on memory could be caused by a reduction of oxygen available to the brain.

However, it is not recommended that those who treat high blood pressure in middle age discontinue their treatments to avoid this problem. First, there has only been an established connection between dementia and low blood pressure. The causal connection has not been tested for. More importantly, high blood pressure in old age has been linked to greater risks of severe lesions on the brain, which could lead to a stroke.

These results were announced after a study was conducted that involved 4,000 middle aged participants whose average age was 50 and all of whom were without diagnosis of dementia. Their blood pressures were measured at the start of the study and then again several years later when the group had an average age of 76. Along with these measures were cognitive ones that measured thinking skills such as memory.

Participants who were found to have high blood pressure at the start of the study but low blood pressure later scored 10 percent lower on the cognitive testing. MRI scans also showed that they had more loss of brain mass.

Conversely, those who developed high blood pressure later in life increased their risk of lesions by 50 percent.

Experts recommend an inclusive form of treatment for blood pressure that includes healthy eating habits, exercise and proper medication when it is needed. They also suggest that those who take medication to control high blood pressure should continue monitoring their blood pressure with their doctor in order to assess when or if their blood pressure begins to lower.