Impact of arterial hypertension on the cognitive function of patients between 45 and 65 years. Luis Vernaza Hospital, Guayaquil, Ecuador

Abstract

Introduction: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an alteration of cognitive function that does not negatively affect the daily activities of the person. Modifiable risk factors such as hypertension could be involved in the acceleration of this process affecting people under 65 years of age. Early detection of MCI through the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in people with high blood pressure would help to formulate strategies for its effective control. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional observational study was designed. The population is hypertensive patients between 45 and 65 years old in Guayaquil. From a database of 570 patients, a call was made to patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria, for the evaluation of cognitive function through MoCA. Results: About 93.3% of the participants who underwent the MoCA test had a score lower than 26. The average of the total score was 18.9, with 51.6% of the participants suffering from MCI. A negative correlation of 40% (-0.40) was obtained with p = 0.0015 between years with arterial hypertension and the total result of the MoCA test. Conclusions: Through MoCA, the magnitude of cognitive deterioration in these patients could be quantified It was detected that the majority of the examined participants had a lower average score of the normal range. The figures obtained from the Pearson correlation values show trend activity, relating arterial hypertension, and deterioration of cognitive function.