Journal of International Psychiatry

Abstract: Objective To investigate the characteristics and clinical significance of blood pressure variability in elderly patients with vascular dementia. Methods A total of 50 patients with vascular dementia admitted to our hospital were enrolled in this study as an observation group, while 50 healthy elderly were collected as a control group. The blood pressure variability of the both groups were compared. Moreover, the association between the blood pressure variability and mini-mental state of examination (MMSE) and activities of daily living (ADL) were studied. Results When compared with the control group, patients in the observation group got an elevated level of 24 hours systolic blood pressure variability (14.58±4.39 vs. 10.58±3.71, P=0.000), and an increase in 24 hours diastolic blood pressure variability (13.58±3.92 vs. 9.12±3.15, P=0.000). Pearson linear correlation analysis showed that 24h systolic pressure variability was significantly negatively correlated with MMSE and ADL (r=-0.258 and 0.214, P<0.05). Conclusion The 24 hours systolic pressure variability in elderly patients with vascular dementia increases, and is related to the neurological dysfunction.

Key words: vascular dementia; blood pressure variability; elderly