Is hypertension treatment for the elderly too aggressive?
Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a health risk for people of all ages. Hypertension increases the risk of stroke, kidney disease and heart attack. Fortunately, there are many medications which can treat hypertension and keep blood pressure to a healthy level. Usually hypertension drugs are used in combination with the aim of getting blood pressure to 140/90 mm Hg. The guideline is the same for both the over-80s and for younger people. But now the author of a Cochrane clinical review, Dr James Wright, says that he believes hypertension treatment of the over-80s may be too aggressive. In the review, he found only one trial showed an actual reduction in mortality for the over-80s with hypertension treatment. This involved a target blood pressure of 150/80 mm Hg and just three easy steps. This hypertension regime would simplify the treatment of hypertension in the over-80s as well as reducing the cost of treatment. Since the elderly often take many different medications,
