Loading...
Although a randomized trial suggested that treating hypertension is beneficial in older patients (JW Gen Med Feb 14 2012), its participants were relatively healthy. In a recent observational study, systolic hypertension was not associated with higher mortality in frail elders (JW Gen Med Aug 30 2012). Now, in a population-based study, researchers identified 572 85-year-old residents of the Netherlands and followed them until age 90. Participants were stratified at baseline into tertiles based on blood pressure (for systolic BP, 110–146, 147–161, and 162–215 mm Hg).
At baseline (age 85), higher systolic BP correlated with better scores on the Mini-Mental State Examination as well as an activities-of-daily-living scale. During 5 years of follo…