Type 2 Hypertension and BMI at Midlife and Risk of Dementia/Alzheimer Disease in Pakistani People

Present study tried to find out the role of midlife, BMI and different stages of hypertension in developing dementia which may lead to Alzheimer's disease in city of Karachi-Pakistan A cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2008 and April 2010. Study included 611 hypertensive patients of both males and females gender with age>50 years. Patients were taken from the local clime and hospitals of Karachi-Pakistan. Patients were screened for cognitive impairment using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and informants who knew the subjects answered the Informant Questionnaire for Cognitive Decline mthe Elderly (IQCODE). BMI and blood pressure of each patient was noted. Patients were considered to hypertensive according to Joint National Committee criteria. Our study observed that the intensity of dementia is directly related especially with hypertension type 2. Study also observed that with the increasing in age the prevalence of all form of dementia was observed. Highest percentage of patients with low BMI and BMI>25 showed severe form of dementia as compared to normal weight. It is therefore concluded that hypertension type 2 is the major risk factor that will increase the risk of AD in Pakistan; but along with other factors like obesity and aging, it can lead to AD and related pathological conditions in individuals markedly characterized by dementia and cognitive decline.