Dizziness when standing up linked to dementia
A startling new study has found a link between dizziness when standing up too quickly and dementia later in life. US scientists found that those who experienced these dizzy spells (known as orthostatic or postural hypotension) were 40 per cent more likely to get dementia 20 years later and 15 per cent more likely to experience cognitive decline than those who did not.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health tested over 11,500 participants with an average age of 54 and found that the brief drop in blood pressure that causes the dizzy spells could lead to lasting vascular damage.
“Even though these episodes are fleeting, they may have impacts that are long lasting,” lead researcher Dr Andreea Rawlings said. “We found that those people who suffered from orthostatic hypotension in middle age were 40 per cent more likely to develop dementia than those who did not. It's a significant finding and we need to better understand just what is happening.”
While there has been research in the past looking into the connection between orthostatic hypotension and cognitive decline in later life, this is the first study to identify a long-term association between the two.
“Identifying risk factors for cognitive decline and dementia is important for understanding disease progression, and being able to identify those most at risk gives us possible strategies for prevention and intervention.”
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