A 91-year-old woman with difficult-to-control hypertension: a clinical review.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Hypertension is common among people older than 65 years, affecting nearly two-thirds of men and three-fourths of women by age 75 years. Treatment goals and medication selection for this population may differ from those for younger patients.

Objective

To discuss the presentation, pathophysiology, and optimal treatment of hypertension among elderly persons.

Evidence review

MEDLINE was searched from 1990 to 2013. A hand search of bibliographies from guidelines and review articles from 2000 to 2013 was also used to identify studies of hypertension treatment in patients older than 65 years.

Findings

Hypertension in elderly people differs from that in younger people in that (1) hypertension is predominantly systolic because of vascular stiffness; (2) it is

SUBMITTER: Lipsitz LA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4156879 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature