On 28 January, the SPRINT MIND consortium published the results of its randomised controlled trial in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The acronyms SPRINT MIND stand for “Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention” and “Trial Memory and Cognition in Decreased Hypertension”.
On the same day, the Alzheimer’s Association officially announced the support of a consecutive and extended SPRINT MIND 2.0 Study. The aim of the study is to continue investigations into the impact of intensive blood pressure treatment on reducing the risk of dementia. Apart from following up previous participants, the trial will also be extended.
All in all, 9,361 participants with hypertension and over the age of 50 were enrolled for the first SPRINT MIND trial. These people were then allocated to one out of two different groups with different systolic blood pressure targets (either below 120 mm HG or below 140 mm HG, which would be standard care).
The researchers reported that the study did not meet its outcome to significantly achieve a lower rate of probable dementia in those with intensive blood pressure control, compared to those receiving standard care. Nevertheless, the results showed that those who received an intensive blood pressure control (target below 120 mm HG), reached a significantly reduced risk of developing mild cognitive impairment: 14.6 vs 18.3 cases per 1000 person-years.
Due to these interesting findings that warrant further investigation, the Alzheimer’s Association has decided to fund the SPRINT MIND 2.0 study, which is due to begin in early 2019.
You can find the official press release here: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-01/aa-aaf012519.php
The results of the SPRINT MIND study can be accessed here: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2723256