Benefits of Treatment in Very Old People with Hypertension

In the Hypertension in the Very Elderly Trial (HYVET), participants (age, ≥80) with systolic blood pressure (BP) ≥160 mm Hg who received antihypertensive treatment had lower mortality and fewer cardiovascular (CV) events than those who received placebo (mean follow-up, 2.1 years; JW Gen Med Apr 17 2008). In this open-label extension of HYVET, investigators assessed whether participants experienced immediate benefit from BP-lowering treatment.

More than 1700 HYVET participants took part in the 1-year extension. Those who had received BP-lowering agents in the original trial (indapamide SR, 1.5 mg daily plus perindopril, 2–4 mg daily as needed to achieve BPs of <150/80 mm Hg) continued treatment, whereas those who had received placebo began th…