Hossein Tabriziani
Loma Linda University, USA
Title: What do we know about high blood pressure in elderly?
Biography
Biography: Hossein Tabriziani
Abstract
One quarter of Americans will be older than 65 by 2030 and more than half of this popultaion will be older than 80 years old and hypertension in this group will be ubiquitous. Most studies of hypertension exclude octogenarians and are not able to be generalized because of differences in physiologic and social phenomena. This presentaion will review and evaluate the existing literature in an effort to identify unresolved issues and guide future areas of investigation. Hypertension has been well characterized in adults and the young elderly, and the focus is on optimizing treatment regimens. However, research specifically involving this rapidly growing minority is sparse. Most studies are still trying to characterize blood pressure goals, and only one major series has begun to evaluate treatment options. Based on available evidence, it appears that an appropriate blood pressure goal may be somewhat higher in octogenarians and that thiazide diuretics may be the initial treatment of choice.