Saturday, December 29, 2007
Hypertension
hypertension
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Hypertension Linked to Disability in Older Adults
Reuters Health Information 2007. © 2007 Reuters Ltd.
Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Dec 25 - Uncontrolled hypertension is associated with an increased risk of disability in older adults, according to a report in the December issue of Hypertension.
"Considering that 65% of the elderly population has hypertension and that 71% of them have uncontrolled hypertension, it is contributing significantly to disability and to healthcare expenditure in the US," lead author Dr. Ihab Hajjar and colleagues note.
Dr. Hajjar, from Harvard Medical School in Boston, and associates analyzed data from 999 stroke-free subjects who were enrolled in the Charleston Heart Study from 1960 to 1993. The average patient age was 68.5 years and 57% of subjects were female and 39% were African American.
Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were measured at multiple points throughout the study period. A variety of standard tests, such as the Rosow-Breslaw Scale, and Katz' Activities of Daily Living Scale, were used to assess function and disability during follow-up.
Increases in systolic, but not diastolic, blood pressure during the study were associated with reduced function on all of the tests.
The presence of hypertension (140/90 mm Hg or greater or the use of antihypertensive agents) raised the risk of new disability between 28% and 30%, depending on the test.
Uncontrolled hypertension (140/90 mmHg or greater while using antihypertensive agents) increased the risk by 29% to 35%.
With controlled hypertension, the risk for disability ranged from 16% to 25%, but this was not statistically significant.
"Identification of another risk factor for disability, in this case, hypertension, may be considered bad news," Drs. Merrill F. Elias and Penelope K. Elias, from the University of Maine in Orono, comment in a related editorial. "However, the study by Hajjar et al also offers good news. A successfully treated cohort of study participants for whom blood pressure was reduced to normal levels on antihypertensive drugs did not show decline in functional abilities compared with normotensive subjects."
Hypertension 2007;1006-1008,1026-1032.
Publication Logo
Hypertension Linked to Disability in Older Adults
Reuters Health Information 2007. © 2007 Reuters Ltd.
Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Dec 25 - Uncontrolled hypertension is associated with an increased risk of disability in older adults, according to a report in the December issue of Hypertension.
"Considering that 65% of the elderly population has hypertension and that 71% of them have uncontrolled hypertension, it is contributing significantly to disability and to healthcare expenditure in the US," lead author Dr. Ihab Hajjar and colleagues note.
Dr. Hajjar, from Harvard Medical School in Boston, and associates analyzed data from 999 stroke-free subjects who were enrolled in the Charleston Heart Study from 1960 to 1993. The average patient age was 68.5 years and 57% of subjects were female and 39% were African American.
Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were measured at multiple points throughout the study period. A variety of standard tests, such as the Rosow-Breslaw Scale, and Katz' Activities of Daily Living Scale, were used to assess function and disability during follow-up.
Increases in systolic, but not diastolic, blood pressure during the study were associated with reduced function on all of the tests.
The presence of hypertension (140/90 mm Hg or greater or the use of antihypertensive agents) raised the risk of new disability between 28% and 30%, depending on the test.
Uncontrolled hypertension (140/90 mmHg or greater while using antihypertensive agents) increased the risk by 29% to 35%.
With controlled hypertension, the risk for disability ranged from 16% to 25%, but this was not statistically significant.
"Identification of another risk factor for disability, in this case, hypertension, may be considered bad news," Drs. Merrill F. Elias and Penelope K. Elias, from the University of Maine in Orono, comment in a related editorial. "However, the study by Hajjar et al also offers good news. A successfully treated cohort of study participants for whom blood pressure was reduced to normal levels on antihypertensive drugs did not show decline in functional abilities compared with normotensive subjects."
Hypertension 2007;1006-1008,1026-1032.
# posted by roodbont @ 4:25 PM 
