The reduction in cardiovascular mortality and morbidity was primarily due to a reduction in cerebrovascular mortality and morbidity .
AUTHORS ' CONCLUSIONS Treating healthy adults 60 years or older with moderate to severe systolic and /or diastolic hypertension with antihypertensive drug therapy reduced all-cause mortality , cardiovascular mortality and morbidity , cerebrovascular mortality and morbidity , and coronary heart disease mortality and morbidity .
Most evidence of benefit pertains to a primary prevention population using a thiazide as first-line treatment
BACKGROUND This is the second substantive up date of this review .
It was originally published in 1998 and was previously up date d in 2009 .
Elevated blood pressure ( known as ' hypertension ' ) increases with age - most rapidly over age 60 .
Systolic hypertension is more strongly associated with cardiovascular disease than is diastolic hypertension , and it occurs more commonly in older people .
It is important to know the benefits and harms of antihypertensive treatment for hypertension in this age group , as well as separately for people 60 to 79 years old and people 80 years or older .
Antihypertensive therapy in older patients with isolated systolic hypertension: the Syst-Eur experience in general practice
Background and objective . This interim report from the Syst-Eur trial investigated the level of blood pressure control achieved during the double-blind period in patients followed in general practice s. Methods . In the Syst-Eur trial elderly patients ( 60 years or older ) with isolated systolic hypertension were r and omized to either active or placebo treatment . Active treatment consisted of nitrendipine combined with enalapril and /or hydrochlorothiazide to reduce systolic pressure to Results . This analysis was restricted to patients of general practitioners who had been followed for at least 12 months . The placebo ( N = 204 ) and active treatment ( N = 217 ) groups had similar characteristics at r and omization . At one year , the difference in sitting pressure between the two treatment groups was 10 mmHg systolic and 4 mmHg diastolic . Fewer patients remained on monotherapy in the placebo than in the active treatment group and on placebo the second and third line medications were started earlier . Nitrendipine tablets were discontinued in 10 patients on placebo and in 21 patients assigned to active treatment ( P Conclusions . A significant blood pressure reduction can be achieved and maintained in older patients with isolated systolic hypertension followed by general practitioners . Whether this blood pressure reduction results in a clinical ly meaningful decrease of cardiovascular complications is under investigation . Keywords . Antihypertensive treatment , general practice , isolated systolic hypertension , r and omized clinical trial
The reduction in cardiovascular mortality and morbidity was primarily due to a reduction in cerebrovascular mortality and morbidity .
AUTHORS ' CONCLUSIONS Treating healthy adults 60 years or older with moderate to severe systolic and /or diastolic hypertension with antihypertensive drug therapy reduced all-cause mortality , cardiovascular mortality and morbidity , cerebrovascular mortality and morbidity , and coronary heart disease mortality and morbidity .
Most evidence of benefit pertains to a primary prevention population using a thiazide as first-line treatment
BACKGROUND This is the second substantive up date of this review .
It was originally published in 1998 and was previously up date d in 2009 .
Elevated blood pressure ( known as ' hypertension ' ) increases with age - most rapidly over age 60 .
Systolic hypertension is more strongly associated with cardiovascular disease than is diastolic hypertension , and it occurs more commonly in older people .
It is important to know the benefits and harms of antihypertensive treatment for hypertension in this age group , as well as separately for people 60 to 79 years old and people 80 years or older .