Who Are The Elderly And How Do They Relate to High Blood Pressure

I consider the start of the elderly years to be age 65, and these senior citizens are growing in numbers.

Aging changes the way your body absorbs, metabolizes and excrete drugs, making older people much more vulnerable to their adverse and toxic effects.

It is said that by the year 2030, one in five Americans will be in that category and the number of people living past 100 years of age is also on the rise.

So over the next twenty years the concerns of this older group will become a major challenge, though some elderly are quite healthy, but in general they have more than one disease.

Assessing High Blood Pressure

Changes in the blood pressure of your loved ones may have an unknown cause or be the result from a disease, along with the side effects of medication that cause their blood pressure to rise.

Your older loved ones may be taking multiple medications and are having all the problems associated with drug interactions.

This group is at a higher risk of heart attack from uncontrolled high blood pressure. A study in the British Medical Journal stated that this older generation between the ages of 65 and 74 can reduce heart attack by 17% if they take medications.

And, you know the pharmaceutical companies love hearing that.

This study also states that among individuals 75 years and older, 75% of women and 65% of men have high blood pressure and these numbers are continually climbing.

Essential High Blood Pressure

Nealy all the elderly have essential high blood pressure and the cause is unknown.

Most high blood pressure in the elderly has isolated systolic high blood pressure over 140 mm Hg, and diastolic blood pressure less than 90 mm Hg, and that can be a prediction of a brain attack or a heart attack.

But, if the isolated diastolic high blood pressure is less than 140 mm Hg, and diastolic blood pressure is greater than 90 mm Hg, then these readings poses no risk to a senior citizen.

So if you or a loved one is over 65 years of age with a systolic blood pressure reading that is greater than 140 mm Hg on several occasions, then you need to seek treatment, do some lifestyle changes or start taking medications to bring it down. Today talk with your physician.

Return To Home Page From The Elderly