What was the impact of treating high blood pressure on elderly patients aged 80 and above?
A meta-analysis of 8 RCTs involving treatment of BP in subjects 80 years and older found that treatment of high BP reduced the risk of stroke, cardiovascular events and heart failure, but had no effect on total mortality. Meta-regression analysis suggested that mortality reduction was achieved in the trials with the least BP reductions and lowest intensity of therapy. An observational cohort study involving 4071 hypertensive individuals aged 80 years or older also indicated a J-shaped relationship between BP and survival.