Treatment of systolic and systolodiastolic hypertension decreases cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications in older adults, though benefits in those older than 80 years remain undecided.
Does treatment of hypertension reduce cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications in older adults?
Treatment of hypertension in older adults reduces cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications, though its benefit in those over 80 remains undecided.
The high prevalence of hypertension in older persons (nearly one of two subjects aged 60 years and older) suggests that the recognition and treatment should be a priority for physicians. Although diastolic blood pressure is regarded as an important risk factor, it is now clear that isolated systolic hypertension and elevated pulse pressure also play an important role in the development of cerebrovascular disease, congestive heart failure, and coronary heart disease, which are the major causes of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the population aged older than 65 years. Controlled, randomized trials have shown that treatment of systolic as well as systolodiastolic hypertension decreases the incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications in older adults. The question of whether treatment of hypertension should be maintained in very old persons, those older than 80 years, is still undecided.
Rigaud et al. (Sun,) conducted a review in Hypertension. Treatment of hypertension was evaluated. Treatment of systolic and systolodiastolic hypertension decreases cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications in older adults, though benefits in those older than 80 years remain undecided.