[(Title)] High Blood Pressure Linked to Sign of Alzheimer’s Disease: Study.

Scientists have found a link between high blood pressure and tangles in the brain seen in those with Alzheimer's disease.

科学家发现，在阿尔茨海默症患者身上看到高血压和大脑缠结之间的联系。

Characterized by blood pushing against the walls of the arteries at too high a force for a prolonged period of time, high blood pressure is a common condition. Around 75 million, or one in three,

高血压是一种常见病，其特征是血压过高，血管壁压过长。

adults in the U.S. have high blood pressure—or hypertension—according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

据疾病控制预防中心报道，美国的成年人中，有约7,500万人，或每3人中1人，有高血压。

To investigate the relationship between high blood pressure and brain health, researchers studied 1,288 participants until they died. On average, each individual was studied for eight years and died at 89 years of age.

为了探讨高血压和大脑健康的关系，研究人员对1,288名参与者进行了调查研究，直至他们死亡为止。

The team measured their blood pressure annually.

小组每年测量血压。

When the participants died, an autopsy was performed on their brains with their consent to check for signs of brain aging, such as tangles and levels of amyloid beta plaque believed to play a role in the development of Alzheimer's.

当参与者去世后，他们同意对其大脑进行解剖，以检查大脑老化的迹象，例如据信在阿尔茨海默氏症发展中起作用的斑块。

They also looked for brain lesions known as infarcts and dead tissue caused by low blood supply, which becomes more common as we age. It can also cause strokes.

他们也寻找脑损伤由低血供引起的脑梗死和死组织引起的病变，这种病在我们年纪的时候变得更加常见，也可能导致中风。

Scientists have found a link between high blood pressure and tangles in the brain seen in those with Alzheimer's disease.    Getty Images

科学家已经发现阿尔茨海默症患者所看到的高血压和大脑缠结之间的联系。

When scientists and clinicians assess blood pressure, they use two measures.

当科学家和临床医生评估血压时，他们使用两种方法。

Systolic blood pressure in the blood vessels when the heart is contracting—which should be 120mmHg or less—and diastolic blood pressure, or between beats, which should measure 80mmHg or less. (The abbreviation mmHg refers to  "millimeters of mercury,

心脏收缩时血管的收缩压（应该是小于等于120mmHg）和舒张压，或心跳（应该是80mmHg或更少）。(缩写mmHg是指“毫米汞柱，指测量血压时汞柱的高度。）

"  or the height a column of mercury rises when reading blood pressure.)

On average, the participants had a blood pressure of 134/72mmHg, or 134 systolic over 72 diastolic. Two thirds of the individuals had a history of high blood pressure, with 87 percent taking medication.

平均而言，参与者的血压为134/72mmHg，即134例心脏收缩，超过72例舒张剂量；三分之二的人有高血压史，87%的人服用药物。

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The autopsies revealed an association between a higher than average systolic blood pressure in the years leading up to an individual's death, and the number of brain tangles. Scientists didn't, however, find the same link with plaque.

这些尸体解剖表明，在导致个人死亡的岁月里，心脏收缩的压力高于普通心脏血压，与脑缠结的数量之间存在着联系，但科学家并未发现与斑块的联系。

The data indicated the higher a person's systolic blood pressure, the higher their risk of developing brain lesions.

数据表明，心脏收缩血压越高，发生脑损伤的风险就越大。

One standard deviation above average systolic blood pressure, for instance 147 mmHg versus 134 mmHg, carried a 46 percent increased risk of having at least one brain lesions, particularly infarcts.

一个标准偏差高于平均收缩血压，例如147mmHg相对于134mmHg，导致至少有一次脑损伤，特别是梗死的风险上升了46%。

A total of 48 percent of participants had at least one brain infarct lesion.

共有48%的参加者至少有脑梗死病变。

The effect of this was the equivalent of nine years of brain aging, the researchers said. But the researchers also found a declining systolic blood pressure carried a risk of developing one or more brain lesions.

研究人员说，这相当于九年的大脑衰老，但研究人员发现，心脏收缩血压的降低可能引起脑部一个或多个病变。

Related: Common sleep disorder tied to changes in part of brain linked to Alzheimer's, study suggests

When diastolic blood pressure was assessed, researchers found individuals with an increase of one standard deviation from the average—for instance from 71mmHg to 79mmHg—carried a 28 percent higher risk of having one or more brain lesions.

在评价舒张性血压时，研究人员发现，平均水平偏离（例如，从71mmHg增加到79mmHg）的人脑部病变发生一次或多次，风险上升了28%。

The conclusion remained the same even when factors such as the use of blood pressure medication were taken into account, the study authors noted.

研究报告的作者指出，即使考虑到使用血压药物等因素，结论保持不变。

Dr. Zoe Arvanitakis, author of the study based at the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, commented in a statement:

芝加哥拉什大学阿兹海默氏症医学中心的研究作者ZoeArvanitakis博士在发言中作了评论：

"While our findings may eventually have important public health implications for blood pressure recommendations for older people, further studies will be needed to confirm and expand on our findings before any such recommendations can be made."

"虽然我们的研究结果可能最终对老年人血压建议产生重要的公共健康影响，但还需要进一步研究，以确认和扩大我们的调查结果，然后再提出任何这样的建议。”

Dr. Doug Brown, chief policy and research officer at the U.K.-based charity the Alzheimer's Society, told Newsweek that having high blood pressure in middle age is  "known to increase dementia risk in later life, particularly vascular dementia."

英国慈善机构阿尔茨海默研究学会的首席政策和研究官员杜格·布朗博士对新闻周刊说，中年高血压“已知会增加老年痴呆的风险，尤其是血管性痴呆症”。

"While this study linked raised blood pressure later in life to early changes in the brain associated with Alzheimer's disease—a build-up of tangles—it was an observational study and we don't know if the people studied had a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease so we cannot draw firm conclusions."

“虽然这项研究将晚年出现的血压与老年痴呆症相关大脑的早期变化联系起来，但是这是一项观察性研究，我们不知道被研究的人是否确诊了老年痴呆症，因此我们无法得出明确的结论。”

As the number of people being diagnosed with Alzheimer's grows, he said,  "we need to look at all ways we can reduce the chance of getting dementia.

他说：“随着被诊断为老年痴呆症患者的人数不断增加，我们需要探讨各种降低患老年痴呆症机会的方法。下一步可以是探讨中老年将血压控制在健康水平的作用，看看是否能降低患老年痴呆症的风险。”

"The next step could be to explore the effects of controlling blood pressure at a healthy level during mid and late life to see whether this can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's."