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Cognitive function and blood pressure, disability in the elderly and healthy aging in Skane.

Principal investigator; Elmståhl, Sölve, Professor, MD/PhD

Clinical speciality: Geriatrics

Phone: ++4640391320

Co-workers: Arkadiusz Siennicki-Lantz, postdoc, Peter Montnemery, Associate professor, Bo Hagberg, professor, Björn Lindgren, professor, Sven Valind, Associate professor, Per Wollmer, professor, Signe Andren, postdoc, Henrik Ekström, postdoc

Research area/areas: Geriatrics, Gerontology, specialising in Medical and Health Sciences, Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology

High blood pressure (BP)is common in the elderly and both high BP and hypotension have been put forward as risk factors for cognitive decline and dementia. Impaired autoregulation of cerebral blood flow might influence cerebral vulnerability. The covariance of BP and other vascular risk factors on cognition is not fully understood. When dementia develops and functioning deteriorates, the informal caregiving is cruical for the elderly. Few studies have focused on the situation for the caregivers, their influence on health care consumption, health economic consequences and whether intervention with psycho-social support and counselling will have an impact on these matters.

Four ongoing studies focus on: models to describe the influence of impaired BT regulation on cognition, measured with psychometric metods and cerebral blood flow (CBF) on physical functioning. Prospective cohort studies of 185 men followed from 68 to 81 years and a study of 700 subjects aged 50 to 77 years are included. Assessment includes physical examination, BT, CBF, blood sampling, medical history, vascular risk factors. Physical and cognitive functioning will be followed in a longitudinal cohort study of 2900 subjects 60 to 93 years with reexaminations every third year. This study is part of the Swedish National Study on Ageing and Care (SNAC, GÅS) with two parts, one including a follow-up of cohorts from five municipalities in Skåne. Medical, psycholgocial and physical examination, questionnaires on life style factors, medication, functioning assessments, biobank, socio-economic conditions and quality of life are included. The forth study is a case-control intervention study on 300 caregivers to subjects with dementia, followed every 6th month until the demented subjects are taking cared of in sheltered living by the municipality. Half of the caregivers are offered councelling and information individually and in groups.

Link to project homepage: http://www.med.lu.se/hvs/geriatrik http://www.skane.se/sus/guc

5 recent original publications

Siennicki-Lantz A, Elmståhl S, Lilja B.
Orthostatic hypotension in Alzheimer´s disease: Result or cause of brain dysfunction ?
Aging.Clin Exp Res. 1999; 11: 155-160

Elmståhl S, Furuäng L
Ambulatory recorded ST segment depression is associated with lower cognitive function in healthy elderly men.
Int J General Medicine. 2009; 2: 145-151

Enkvist Å, Ekström H, Elmståhl S
What factors affect life satisfaction (LS) among the oldest-old?
Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics. 2012; May 7: Jan;54(1):140-5.

Andrén S, Elmståhl S.
Relationships between income, subjective health and caregiver burden in caregivers of people with dementia in group living care: a cross-sectional community based study.
Int J Nurs Stud. 44; 2007: 435-446

Siennicki-Lantz A, Elmståhl S
Phenomenon of declining blood pressure in elderly - high systolic levels are undervalued with Korotkoff method.
BMC geriatrics. 2011; 11: 57 -

Further publications here (new window)

Financing/year