Regular blood pressure spikes silently damage blood vessels, leading to mini-strokes that a person may not even notice. Using an MRI scan as an example, Zhibek Zholdasova, head of the Center for the Treatment of Neuroses and Alzheimer's Disease, explained why blood pressure medications must be taken daily to protect against dementia... reports the website infohub.kz.
"This is what the brain looks like if high blood pressure is left untreated. What's special? In the middle of the brain, there's a black butterfly-shaped spot — that's the ventricles. They should be normal, with fluid (cerebrospinal fluid) circulating in them. But here they are enlarged due to overall brain shrinkage," she notes.
The doctor explained that around the ventricles, white streaks are clearly visible — this is leukoaraiosis grade III, a sign of years of elevated blood pressure. Against the background of these white streaks, there are small dark spots, like holes of various sizes.
"These holes are evidence of strokes suffered on the feet, called lacunar cysts. The person didn't even know they had strokes. But they accumulated over the years because blood pressure constantly spiked to 200 and above. No medications were taken at all. And after about 20 years, dementia developed. Such a brain eventually almost stopped working. Severe dementia," she said.
The psychotherapist also cited statistics showing that most people in the world do not control their blood pressure and do not take medications regularly.
Thus, according to the figures, among women, only 23% monitor their blood pressure (77% respectively do not control it). Among men, the figure is even lower — 18%.
"Modern medications for treating hypertension should be taken daily even when blood pressure is normal at 120/80. They do not lower normal blood pressure but prevent it from rising. These medications will protect your brain from dementia," Zholdasova emphasized.
Earlier, Zholdasova noted that mandatory medical check-ups for drivers over 65 introduced in Kazakhstan will help identify cognitive impairments that could lead to road accidents.