Affiliations: [a] Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| [b] Department of Psychological Science, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| [c] Institute for Memory Disorders and Neurological Impairments, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
Correspondence:
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Correspondence to: Daniel A. Nation, Department of Psychological Science, 4201 Social & Behavioral Sciences Gateway, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697-7085, USA. Tel.: +1 949 824 9339; E-mail: dnation@uci.edu.
Abstract: Background:Gender differences have been noted in studies linking blood pressure to all-cause dementia, and the two most common forms of dementia: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD). However, how gender modifies the relationship between blood pressure and dementia remains unclear. Objective:To review evidence for a gender modifying effect on the link between blood pressure and all-cause dementia. Methods:A systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. Sixteen out of 256 reviewed articles met inclusion criteria. Results:For women, higher midlife systolic blood pressure (SBP) and hypertension were both associated with greater risk of all-cause dementia, AD, and VaD, in six out of seven studies. Two of these studies reported higher midlife SBP/hypertension were associated with greater risk for all-cause dementia in women, but not men. One study reported higher midlife SBP associated with greater AD risk in women, but not men. However, another study reported that midlife hypertension associated with AD risk in men, but not women. No clear gender differences were reported in the relationship between late-life high blood pressure/hypertension with all-cause dementia or AD. Conclusion:Studies rarely, and inconsistently, analyzed or reported gender effects. Therefore, interpretation of available evidence regarding the role of gender in blood pressure associated dementia was difficult. Several studies indicated higher midlife SBP was associated with greater risk of all-cause dementia for women, compared to men. Future studies should evaluate women-specific aging processes that occur in midlife when considering the association between blood pressure and dementia risk.
