Britain’s leading brain health expert says this one regular check-up can save you from developing dementia

According to the World Health Organization, dementia is the seventh leading cause of death and one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older adults. Could a disease that affects such a large population be avoided with a simple “check-up"? Britain’s leading brain health expert, and a professor of medicine at the University of Manchester, Adam Greenstein has made a similar claim. “High blood pressure, or hypertension, is the single biggest modifiable factor causing memory loss (in ­Britain)” Professor Greenstein told the Daily mail. He believes everyone from middle-age onwards should have their blood pressure checked regularly, and treated with medication if necessary. Brain health expert Adam Greenstein’s research focuses on the damaging effects of high blood pressure on the brain. The American Heart Association also notes that the hypertension-dementia relationship has led to hypertension being targeted as a treatable condition that could delay the onset of cognitive deterioration. Studies have shown that high blood pressure contributes particularly to Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, which are the two most common types of dementia. High blood pressure damages the tiny blood vessels in the brain, in turn causing a cascade of effects that can harm brain tissue. Also read: US witnesses 1900 flu deaths so far this season, reveals CDC data as cases surge across the countryProfessor Greenstein, who works with clinics across the North-West of England, says that many patients are reluctant to take blood pressure medication. “People don't like it because they don't experience any symptoms from hypertension, but they can get side-effects (dizziness, headaches, rashes and bad coughs) from the tablets they are prescribed,” he explains. Professor Greenstein says that ignorance among medics of the threat from hypertension is a tragic waste of crucial time when it comes to preventing dementia, and is calling for all middle-aged and older people to have their blood pressure checked ­regularly and, if it is raised, to be ­prescribed tablets from their GP to control this.