Benefits of Treating Higher Versus Lower BP Targets in Older Adults Across all trials , treating high BP in older adults was beneficial .
This is probably related to the higher frequency of cardiovascular events seen in these patients .
Treatment Effects According to Diastolic BP Evidence was insufficient to determine the benefit of treating diastolic hypertension in the absence of systolic hypertension .
A subgroup analysis of SPRINT showed a nonstatistically significant increase in the rate of serious adverse events , hypotension , syncope , electrolyte abnormalities , or acute
Hypertension , an elevation of systemic arterial blood pressure ( BP ) , is a very common chronic disease in the United States .
The overall prevalence of hypertension among U.S. adults is 29.0 % , and it increases to 64.9 % in adults aged 60 years or older ( 1 ) .
Hypertension was associated with a total of $ 46 billion in health care services , medications , and missed days of work in the United States in 2011 ( 2 ) .
Appropriate management of hypertension reduces the risk for cardiovascular disease , renal disease , cerebrovascular disease , and death ( 36 ) .
However , determining the most appropriate BP targets , particularly for adults aged 60 years or older , has been controversial .
Debate about the goal for systolic BP ( SBP ) among adults treated for hypertension has intensified , especially in light of recent recommendations ( 7 ) .
In addition , when selecting BP targets for adults aged 60 years or older , clinicians need to consider comorbid conditions that could affect treatment choice .
Original Version ( PDF ) Guideline Focus and Target Population The purpose of this American College of Physicians ( ACP ) and American Academy of Family Physicians ( AAFP ) joint guideline is to present evidence -based recommendations on the benefits and harms of higher ( < 150 mm Hg ) versus lower ( 140 mm Hg ) SBP targets for the treatment of hypertension in adults aged 60 years or older .
These recommendations are based on a background evidence review ( 8) and systematic review sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ( VA ) ( 9 ) .
The effect of prescribed daily dose frequency on patient medication compliance.
The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between prescribed daily dose frequency and  patient medication compliance .  The medication compliance of 105 patients receiving antihypertensive medications  was monitored by analyzing data obtained from special pill containers that electronically record the date and time of medication removal . Inaccurate compliance estimates derived using the simple pill count method were thereby avoided . Compliance was defined as the percent of days during which the prescribed number of doses were removed . Compliance improved from 59.0 % on a three-time daily regimen to 83.6 % on a once-daily regimen . Thus , compliance improves dramatically as prescribed dose frequency decreases . Probably the single most important action that health care providers can take to improve compliance is to select medications that permit the lowest daily prescribed dose frequency
Benefits of Treating Higher Versus Lower BP Targets in Older Adults Across all trials , treating high BP in older adults was beneficial .
This is probably related to the higher frequency of cardiovascular events seen in these patients .
Treatment Effects According to Diastolic BP Evidence was insufficient to determine the benefit of treating diastolic hypertension in the absence of systolic hypertension .
A subgroup analysis of SPRINT showed a nonstatistically significant increase in the rate of serious adverse events , hypotension , syncope , electrolyte abnormalities , or acute
Hypertension , an elevation of systemic arterial blood pressure ( BP ) , is a very common chronic disease in the United States .
The overall prevalence of hypertension among U.S. adults is 29.0 % , and it increases to 64.9 % in adults aged 60 years or older ( 1 ) .
Hypertension was associated with a total of $ 46 billion in health care services , medications , and missed days of work in the United States in 2011 ( 2 ) .
Appropriate management of hypertension reduces the risk for cardiovascular disease , renal disease , cerebrovascular disease , and death ( 36 ) .
However , determining the most appropriate BP targets , particularly for adults aged 60 years or older , has been controversial .
Debate about the goal for systolic BP ( SBP ) among adults treated for hypertension has intensified , especially in light of recent recommendations ( 7 ) .
In addition , when selecting BP targets for adults aged 60 years or older , clinicians need to consider comorbid conditions that could affect treatment choice .
Original Version ( PDF ) Guideline Focus and Target Population The purpose of this American College of Physicians ( ACP ) and American Academy of Family Physicians ( AAFP ) joint guideline is to present evidence -based recommendations on the benefits and harms of higher ( < 150 mm Hg ) versus lower ( 140 mm Hg ) SBP targets for the treatment of hypertension in adults aged 60 years or older .
These recommendations are based on a background evidence review ( 8) and systematic review sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ( VA ) ( 9 ) .