Key result
Deprescribing antihypertensives in older adults shows no difference in 12-month BP control.
Why the study?
Deprescribing antihypertensives is recommended when treatment risks outweigh benefits, but evidence on long-term outcomes in real-world multimorbidity populations remains limited.
Does deprescribing antihypertensives maintain blood pressure control and improve safety in older adults in primary care?
Observational (n=108)
Does deprescribing antihypertensives maintain blood pressure control and improve safety in older adults in primary care?
Absolute Event Rate: 86.1% vs 94.4%
p-value: p=0.0636
Deprescribing antihypertensives in older adults in primary care is feasible, maintaining blood pressure control at 12 months while significantly reducing postural hypotension.
Caution advised deprescribing antihypertensives in multimorbid elderly; retrospective data leaves open long-term BP and safety effects.
INTRODUCTION: Deprescribing antihypertensives is recommended when the treatment risks outweigh benefits, but evidence on the long-term outcomes in real-world multimorbidity populations remains limited. This study examined the clinical effects of deprescribing antihypertensives on blood pressure (BP) control and safety outcomes at 3 and 12 months of follow-up. METHODS: From January 2021 to December 2022, we conducted a retrospective review of 108 polyclinic patients aged ≥60 years who had antihypertensives deprescribed. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients who remained within individualised BP targets. Secondary outcomes were maintenance of deprescribing and changes in absolute BP, number of antihypertensives and pill count. Safety outcomes assessed included giddiness, postural hypotension, falls and hospital admissions. RESULTS: Among the 108 patients (mean age 77.3 years, 54.6% female, 80.6% Chinese), 93.5% and 69.4% maintained deprescribing at 3 and 12 months, respectively. There was no difference in the proportion who remained within BP targets at 12 months (86.1% vs. 94.4%, P = 0.0636) despite an initial decrease in the proportion at 3 months (74.1% vs. 94.4%, P < 0.0001). Systolic BP increased from a baseline of 124.2 mmHg to 133.9 mmHg at 3 months, stabilising at 133.5 mmHg by 12 months. The proportion with postural hypotension decreased ( P = 0.0009), while giddiness ( P = 0.0872) and falls ( P = 0.2100) showed no difference at 12 months. Hospital admissions increased marginally in the study population ( P = 0.0490) but not in the subgroup that maintained deprescribing. CONCLUSION: There was no difference in BP control at 12 months after deprescribing despite a transient decline at 3 months. This supports the feasibility of deprescribing antihypertensives in older adults in primary care. Further research is needed to evaluate the safety outcomes in larger populations with specific cardiovascular comorbidities.
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Yeo et al. (2026) conducted an observational in Hypertension (n=108). Deprescribing antihypertensives vs. Baseline was evaluated on Proportion of patients who remained within individualised BP targets (p=0.0636). Deprescribing antihypertensives in older adults resulted in no significant difference in blood pressure control at 12 months compared to baseline (86.1% vs. 94.4%; P=0.0636).
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