Study Provides New Understanding About Blood Pressure Control in Older Adults

News-Medical cites a study published in the European Heart Journal , which associated lower blood pressure with an elevated risk of death in adults older than 80 and in adults who have previously had a heart attack or stroke. European guidelines recommend a target blood pressure of less than 140/90 mmHg. But additional factors, like an individual's comorbidities, should be taken into account. Antihypertensive drugs administered to achieve target levels of under 140/90 mmHg were found to not consistently have a protective effect. Results were even more pronounced for target levels below 130/80 mmHg, based on epidemiological data from more than 1,600 people aged 70 or older being treated for high blood pressure. Mortality was 40 percent higher in 80-year-olds with blood pressure levels under 140/90 mmHg versus subjects whose blood pressure topped 140/90 mmHg. Participants who had previously had a heart attack or stroke exhibited similar findings, with mortality 61 percent higher among those with blood pressure under 140/90 mmHg versus persons whose blood pressure remained above this threshold despite antihypertensive treatment.