BACKGROUND

Hypertension is an established risk factor for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in elderly individuals. Nevertheless, the impact of different levels of blood pressure on the progression of MCI remains uncertain. This study aims to investigate the non-linear relationship between blood pressure and MCI in the elderly and detect the critical blood pressure threshold, thus, improving blood pressure management for individuals at high risk of MCI.

METHODS

Data was obtained from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) cohort. We chose normal cognitive elderly individuals who entered the cohort in 2014 for a 5-year follow-up to observe the progression of MCI. Subsequently, we utilized the Cox regression model to identify risk factors for MCI and conducted a Cox-based restricted cubic spline regression (RCS) model to examine the non-linear relationship between systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) with MCI, determining the critical blood pressure threshold for MCI progression.

RESULTS

In the elderly population, female (HR = 1.489, 95% CI: 1.017-2.180), lacking of exercise in the past (HR = 1.714, 95% CI: 1.108-2.653), preferring animal fats (HR = 2.340, 95% CI: 1.348-4.061), increased age (HR = 1.061, 95% CI: 1.038-1.084), increased SBP (HR = 1.036, 95% CI: 1.024-1.048), and increased DBP (HR = 1.056, 95% CI: 1.031-1.081) were associated with MCI progression. After adjusting factors such as gender, exercise, preferred types of fats, and age, both SBP (P  < 0.001) and DBP (P  < 0.001) in elderly individuals exhibited a non-linear association with MCI. The risk of MCI rose when SBP exceeded 135 mmHg and DBP was in the range of 80-88 mmHg. However, when DBP exceeded 88 mmHg, there was a declining trend in MCI progression, although the HR remained above 1. The identified critical blood pressure management threshold for MCI was 135/80 mmHg.

CONCLUSION

In this study, we discovered that risk factors affecting the progression of MCI in elderly individuals comprise gender (female), preferring to use animal fat, lack of exercise in the past, increased age, increased SBP, and increased DBP. Additionally, a non-linear relationship between blood pressure levels and MCI progression was confirmed, with the critical blood pressure management threshold for MCI onset falling within the prehypertensive range.