Hypotension is the beginning of the end

A decrease in blood pressure in the elderly is a harbinger of death. According to a study by a group of scientists from the University of Connecticut (USA) and the University of Exeter (UK), approximately 14-18 years before death, people over 60 have a decrease in blood pressure.

A population retrospective analysis of the database of 46,634 UK residents who died over the age of 60 from 2010 to 2014 was carried out. The average age of death was 82.4 years. Among the study participants were both healthy people and people suffering from various diseases, for example, neurological or cardiovascular. The researchers assessed their blood pressure levels during the last 20 years of their lives.

Most often, death was observed 14-18 years after the onset of a decrease in blood pressure. Among those who died at the age of 60-69 years, systolic pressure (SAD) decreased by 8.5 mmHg. With the approach of death, the difference in SAD increased. Among those who died over the age of 90, it averaged 22 mmHg.

Graph from an article in JAMA Internal Medicine

A sharp decrease in blood pressure was noted in those participants who suffered from arterial hypertension, dementia, heart failure in old age, as well as those who lost a lot of weight. Among healthy subjects, a decrease in blood pressure was also noted, but the process was more gradual and prolonged.

The results of the study in no case can be interpreted as a refutation of the need to treat hypertension in old age. They emphasize the importance of blood pressure monitoring when assessing the condition of elderly patients.

The study of the dynamics of blood pressure is very important, it is necessary to continue working in this direction. In the case when a patient with hypertension has a sharp drop in blood pressure against the background of conventional treatment, it must be remembered that, perhaps, the reason is not at all in the medications taken. Understanding the processes taking place in the declining years will help to change the tactics of managing elderly patients and improve their quality of life.

Article by João Delgado et al. Blood Pressure Trajectories in the 20 Years Before Death is published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru