What is the optimal antihypertensive therapy strategy and blood pressure target in elderly patients?
In elderly patients, antihypertensive therapy should aim for 140/100 mm Hg using low-dose thiazides and/or hydralazine while avoiding drugs that cause postural hypotension.
The goal of antihypertensive therapy in the elderly should be to reduce systolic blood pressure to 140 mm Hg and diastolic pressure to 100 mm Hg without disturbing cerebral or coronary blood flow or depressing cerebral function. This goal can usually be accomplished by using half doses of thiazide diuretics alone or in combination with half doses of hydralazine. Drugs which produce postural hypotension or depress cardiac output and cerebral function should not be used.
Frank A. Finnerty (Tue,) studied this question.