Management of hypertension in the elderly requires careful selection of antihypertensive agents due to age-related changes in hemodynamics and drug metabolism.
Supports cautious antihypertensive selection in elderly hypertension; leaves open need for RCTs to guide specific agents.
Hypertension in the older population has a serious prognosis and this is true even for isolated systolic hypertension. There is a markedly increased risk of stroke, cardiovascular disease and central nervous system in such patients. The hemodynamics in hypertension of the elderly differs in a number of parameters from hypertension in the younger patient. In addition, drug metabolism is markedly altered by the aging process. This combination of factors requires a selective choice of agents for the management of hypertension in the elderly. The role of various drug modalities and their efficacy is reviewed in this presentation.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Eugene L. Coodley (1985) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: