Pushing for lower BPs in the elderly

A significant twofold increased risk of cardiovascular disease in elderly patients with systolic blood pressures >150 mm Hg as well as a significantly increased risk of coronary heart disease incidence.While stroke rates were not significantly increased in elderly patients with higher blood pressures, there was an increased risk of all-cause mortality among individuals 55 to 74 years of age with systolic blood pressures >140 mm Hg. The results, presented here today at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) 2013 Congress, are considered hypothesis-generating at this point, say investigators, but do suggest a new standard for treating older patients.
Currently, the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association guidelines recommend a treatment target of <140 mm Hg in individuals 65 to 79 years old, with older patients, those 80 years and older, treated to a target of 140 to 145 mm Hg, if tolerated. The European Society of Hypertension (ESH)/ESC recommend all elderly patients with a baseline systolic blood pressure greater than 160 mm Hg be treated to a target of 140 to 150 mm Hg. For fitter elderly individuals, treating to less than 140 mm Hg can be considered, according to the ESH/ESC.
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