Interest of Combined Blood Pressure Measurements in Very Old Frail Subjects: The PARTAGE Study

American Journal of Hypertension
Jean-Jacques MouradAthanase Benetos

Abstract

Several clinical studies have shown that blood pressure (BP) measurements in very old frail individuals are of limited interest due to the fact that several age-related alterations and geriatric syndromes may modify BP. We studied in persons over 80-year old living in nursing homes the combined effects of 3 BP patterns on total mortality and major cardiovascular (CV) events: (i) low pulse pressure amplification (L-PPA) between carotid and brachial artery, (ii) systolic BP (SBP) <130 mm Hg (L-SBP), under >1 antihypertensive drugs, and (iii) changes in SBP between supine and upright position of >20 mm Hg in both directions (hypotension/hypertension, orthostatic SBP [O-SBP]). This analysis was performed in subjects of the PARTAGE study presenting all these 3 measurements (n = 883). The combined effects of L-PPA, L-SBP, and O-SBP were studied during the 2 years followed-up period. After adjusting for age, sex, and history of CV events, all 3 BP patterns were independent determinants of major CV events (L-PPA, (P = 0.023); L-SBP, (P = 0.050); O-SBP, (P = 0.015)), whereas L-PPA (P = 0.012) and L-SBP (P = 0.006) were also independent determinants of total mortality. Compared with the subjects without any BP pattern, the presence of 2 ...Continue Reading

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Antihypertensive Agents: Mechanisms of Action

Antihypertensive drugs are used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure) which aims to prevent the complications of high blood pressure, such as stroke and myocardial infarction. Discover the latest research on antihypertensive drugs and their mechanism of action here.