In dad's case his felodipine tablets (blood pressure) had to be removed because it was making him fall and making his Alzheimers progress even faster.
MaNaAk
Yes, I believe this is one of the issues regarding drug treatments for mixed dementia . When my father was diagnosed they told us he wasn't suitable for drug intervention because of his history of falls and stroke.
I think that , although meds for high BP are initially used to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke (high BP damages the lining of the arteries, which can lead to small blood clots forming and things like calcium and cholesterol can get caught up on the damaged tissue, narrowing the arteries even more or causing a stroke or heart attack)
,but as people age the body becomes less effective at maintaining BP especially when they stand up etc. This can contribute to falls as the person feels dizzy and may even faint.
When there's narrowing of the arteries as in vascular dementia , the brain needs a higher BP than someone with normal arteries.
A " normal" BP ,or one that drops significantly when someone stands up, can affect the blood supply to the brain. Blood carries oxygen which the the tiny nerves (neurones) in the brain need to stay alive. There are millions of neurones in the brain so a low BP may lead to the death of a few at a time, but over time it can significantly worsen dementia and also increase the risk of a stroke.
My mum was in hospital recently after a huge nosebleed. Her BP was dropping from 130 to 100 when she stood up and she was feeling lightheaded. They stopped her BP medication and GP ( well , mum and I?) are monitoring it.