A High Blood Pressure May be a Good Thing in the Very Old

Swedish geriatricians have done a study of the very old (85 years and above) and their blood pressure, in relation to their mortality. The results are published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

The 350 participants were from six areas in the north of Sweden. They were classified by age into 3 groups: 85 to 89, 90 to 95, and above 95. Information on blood pressure, mental tests, body weight, medical diagnoses, medications taken, and 4-year mortality were collected.

The systolic and diastolic blood pressures and the pulse pressure (the difference between the two) were lower in those people dying within 4 years. The systolic blood pressure was the strongest predictor – levels below 120 mmHg were linked to greater all-cause mortality both alone and when corrected for underlying health conditions. A systolic blood pressure level of 164 mmHg was calculated to be associated with the lowest mortality rate.

This finding, if confirmed in other studies, will reinforce the existing tendency for many geriatricians to back off somewhat in their efforts to ‘treat’ high blood pressure in the very old. As the authors of this study suggest, the optimal systolic blood pressure for people over 85 may well be above 140 mmHg.