Perfil del hipertenso adulto mayor tratado / Morbidity and mortality of treated elderly hypertensive patients

Background: There is concern about the consequences that hypertension has on the well being and mortality of elderly people. Aim: To compare the morbidity and mortality of young and old treated hypertensive subjects. Material and methods: Retrospective analysis of hypertensive subjects treated and followed for a period of 10 ñ 9 years. Subjects that started treatment at an age of less than 65 years and those that started treatment after 65 years of age, were analyzed separately. The antihypertensive drugs used for treatment and blood pressure reduction were similar in both groups. Results: Subjects that started treatment after 65 years of age (157 females and 133 males) had lower serum cholesterol levels and a higher prevalence of end organ damage than their younger counterparts. Women over 65 had a higher body mass index than women of less than 65. Males over 65 years had a higher prevalence of diabetes than younger males. Mortality and complications of hypertension were higher in subjects that started treatment after 65 years of age. Conclusions: The higher mortality of subjects that start hypertensive treatment after 65 years of age, is indicative of the need to detect and treat hypertension at the earliest possible moment

Morbimortalidad de la hipertensión arterial esencial tratada en un seguimiento de 26 años / Mortality and morbidity of treated essential arterial hypertension: a 26 years follow up

Background: Treatment has a definitive impact on mortality in hypertension. The magnitude of blood pressure reduction, the type of drug used and the associated risk factors may modulate the effect of treatment on mortality. Aim: To report the effects of treatment of essential hypertension, in a cohort followed for up to 26 years. Patients and methods: A cohort of 1,172 essential hypertensive patients followed up to 26 years. Patients were treated with different antihypertensive drugs, alone or in combination (diuretics, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors) according to international rules and consensus. Subjects were followed until death or loss from follow-up. Blood pressure reduction was aimed to obtain figures near 140/ 90 mm Hg. Causes of death and complications were obtained from hospital records, phone and death certificates. Survival was studied using life tables (Kaplan Meier method and intention to treat analysis) and Cox proportional hazard analysis. Results: Initial blood pressure dropped significantly from 181/109 to 154/92 mm Hg, p <0.001. Mean follow-up time was 10.6ñ6.1 years. There were 143 cardiovascular deaths, 142 acute myocardial infarctions, 101 strokes, 83 subjects had cardiac failure and 49 had renal failure. The observed rates were 0.92 percent per year for cardiovascular mortality, 1.36 percent per year for coronary heart disease, 0.94 percent per year for stroke. Conclusions: Our mortality rate is lower than that found in classical randomized studies but similar or slightly higher than the more recent ones. Morbidity rates were also very similar. Except for mortality rate, frequency of complications did not change in comparison to our previous report after 15 year of follow up. Aging did not seem to negatively influence mortality rates in adequately treated hypertensive patients