Hypertension in the Elderly

Several studies have demonstrated an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in relation to high blood pressure in elderly patients aged below 70-75, whereas the risk seemed to decline with age in the older elderly.Early studies on the effect of treatment of mild to moderate hypertension in the elderly indicated (but did not convincingly show) a reduction of CVD. In the 1980s, both the EWPHE trial (European Working Party on High Blood Pressure in the Elderly) and the HEP study (The Randomised Trial of the Treatment of Hypertension in Elderly Patients in Primary Care) provided evidence of the benefit of treating high blood pressure in the elderly, at least up to the age of 70-74. These results have lately been confirmed by three major trials SHEP (Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program), STOP (Swedish Trial in Old Patients with Hypertension) and MRC (Medical Research Council), also including older patients (STOP) and those with isolated systolic hypertension (SHEP). This satisfactory effect wa...