The Elderly & Hypertension

According to MayoClinic.com, hypertension is defined as high blood pressure caused by an increase in blood being pumped through narrowed arteries. The Mayo Clinic website states that this condition develops over time, with risk factors including age, race, weight, diet, fitness level and family history.

Significance

• Elderly people, generally thought to be those age 60 and older, have the highest prevalence of hypertension and are the demographic most likely to seek treatment for their high blood pressure, states MedScape.com.

Prevalence

• A MedScape.com article titled "Hypertension in the Elderly: Optimizing Management in the Real World" by Dr. Suzanne Oparil, reports that among participants in the Framingham Heart Study conducted by Boston University, cases of hypertension increased with age, with 75 percent of patients age 80 or older suffering from the disorder.

Symptoms

• Hypertension sufferers may experience no symptoms at all. According to MayoClinic.com, patients with hypertension typically do not experience symptoms like increased headaches, dizzy spells or nose bleeds until their high blood pressure has already reached an advanced stage.

Effects

• High blood pressure left untreated can cause artery damage, heart failure, abnormal kidney function, stroke or an aneurysm, according to MayoClinic.com. Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper states that according to a study published to the Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, elderly people experience a decline in IQ and cognitive function on days when their blood pressure was higher.

Considerations

• The website for the American Academy of Family Physicians states that continuing to treat elderly patients who are 80 years and older with medication to control their hypertension reduced their risk of stoke, as well as their risk of death by any means.