G045: A three years following of a sample of 420 elderly subjects regarding their blood pressure levels and their degree of control of HTA

Abstract

There is controversy about evolution of blood pressure (BP) levels in elderly hypertensive people. We describe the results of a spanish cohort study with a mean following of 3 years of elderly people (>65 years old) randomized selected from a urban population from the EPICARDIAN study. Initial mean age 73.3 years old, 45% men, who underwent two measurements of BP at the hospital in standard conditions with mercury sphygmomanometer initially and 3 years later. Of the 420 subjects, 322 were hypertensives (56.9% without treatment (HTWT), 35.2% with treatment without control (WTWC) of HT and 7.8 with treatment and control of hypertension). 117 subjects didn’t have the 3 year measurement: 56 died (9 of the NT (2 ictus, 1 MI) and the rest of HT group (12 ictus, 13 MI). The relative risk (RR) of cardiovascular deaths of HT versus NT was 2.54 (CI 95% 0.78–8.22) and of every etiology 1.59 (CI 95% 0.81–3.13). Mean age was higher in the HT group (p=0.037). Of the WTWC 26.5% became controlled. Of the 19 patients controlled 9 became uncontrolled. Of the 102 patients with treatment only 3 patients became normotensives. Of the 126 HTWT only 21 received treatment at 3 years. Of the 23.3% of normotensives 6.7% received treatment at 3 years. Of the 75 NT that have a second measurement 25.4% became HT. A great percentage of HTWT became NT. Of the WTWC 26.5% patients have control at 3 years, but of the controlled patients 47.4 passed to the uncontrolled status. In the elderly population of our sample the treatment of hypertensives is low and the control very low. The control seemed to have increased at 3 years because hypertensives without treatment received treatment, but is not significant. The elder age of the hypertensive group can explain the higher RR of deaths, although this is not statistically significant.

Elderly, control of blood pressure, evolution of HT