Dementia is a growing public health crisis across the globe and until there is a curative treatment, reducing risk factors has become the primary priority. A new study in the journal Nature Medicine followed thousands of patients for four years. It suggests reducing blood pressure substantially lowers risk of dementia and cognitive impairment. Chinese researchers say the results highlight the potential importance of more intensive control of blood pressure to reduce the global burden of dementia, which affects patients, caregivers and society as a whole. The study found reducing systolic blood pressure in patients an average of twenty-two points lowered risk of dementia by fifteen percent, in addition to lowering risk of cardiovascular disease.