Blood pressure control poor among older women

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Compared with national guidelines, treatment and control of blood pressure, especially among older women, falls far short.
Elevated blood pressure can be brought under control by medication and lifestyle changes. It also needs to be monitored regularly. However, according to a new report from the long-running Framingham Heart Study, treatment and control of blood pressure falls a long way below recommended guidelines - exposing many to the risk of stroke, heart disease and other complications.

A group of 5,296 participants was studied. Hypertension was defined as systolic (top figure) blood pressure of 140 mm Hg or more or diastolic (bottom figure) blood pressure of 90 mm Hg or more. The study shows that hypertension and treatment for it became more common with age. However, control rates were relatively low, especially among women over 60. For instance, those aged 60 to 79 had a control rate of 28 per cent and those over 80 had a control rate of 23 per cent. What is more, even though thiazide diuretics have been shown to be the most effective drugs for hypertension, they are not widely used. Instead, doctors are prescribing more expensive drugs like angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. Hopefully the study can act as a wake-up call to help better control of elevated blood pressure among the general population.

Source
Journal of the American Medical Association 27th July 2005 Volume 294 pages 466-472