Blood pressure in frail older adults: associations with cardiovascular outcomes and all-cause mortality.
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ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Blood pressure (BP) management in frail older people is challenging. An randomised controlled trial of largely non-frail older people found cardiovascular and mortality benefit with systolic (S) BP target <120 mmHg. However, all-cause mortality by attained BP in routine care in frail adults aged above 75 is unclear. OBJECTIVES:To estimate observational associations between baseline BP and mortality/cardiovascular outcomes in a primary-care population aged above 75, stratified by frailty. METHODS:Prospective observational analysis using electronic health records (clinical practice research datalink, n =?415,980). We tested BP associations with cardiovascular events and mortality using competing and Cox proportional-hazards models respectively (follow-up ?10 years), stratified by baseline electronic frailty index (eFI: fit (non-frail), mild, moderate, severe frailty), with sensitivity analyses on co-morbidity, cardiovascular risk and BP trajectory. RESULTS:Risks of cardiovascular outcomes increased with SBPs >150 mmHg. Associations with mortality varied between non-frail <85 and frail 75-84-year-olds and all above 85 years. SBPs above the 130-139-mmHg reference were associated with lower mortality risk, particularly in moderate to severe frailty or above 85 years (e.g. 75-84 years: 150-159 mmHg Hazard Ratio (HR) mortality compared to 130-139: non-frail HR?=?0.94, 0.92-0.97; moderate/severe frailty HR?=?0.84, 0.77-0.92). SBP <130 mmHg and Diastolic(D)BP <80 mmHg were consistently associated with excess mortality, independent of BP trajectory toward the end of life. CONCLUSIONS:In representative primary-care patients aged ?75, BP <130/80 was associated with excess mortality. Hypertension was not associated with increased mortality at ages above 85 or at ages 75-84 with moderate/severe frailty, perhaps due to complexities of co-existing morbidities. The priority given to aggressive BP reduction in frail older people requires further evaluation.
SUBMITTER: Masoli JAH
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7444671 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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