COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN HYPERTENSION - A COMMUNITY-BASED STUDY

Cognitive function was investigated in a random sample of subjects on the general practitioners' registry of hypertensive patients in an inn er city area and matched with normotensive controls. The response rate was 66% giving 90 matched pairs, average age 63 yrs, with 47% men. Th ere was no difference in educational background or measures of reading ability between the two groups. Cognitive function tests showed a con sistent trend of poorer performance in hypertensives, with significant differences in Verbal Learning (immediate recall and retention). Age was inversely related to cognitive function, but no additional deterio ration with increasing age was shown in hypertensives.