What's the Best Blood Pressure For Older Adults?

0:00 we know in many people high blood pressure is bad we therefore give medications to try and lower the blood pressure General guidelines mention 120 over 80 as the right blood pressure for adults but are these readings same for older people high blood pressure is more likely as you age it also tends to run in families but even if you don't have it in your family if you live long enough you are likely to develop it if you are above 65 years and have high blood pressure you might be on medication and you might be wondering ing what your target blood pressure should be in this video we will talk about the best blood pressure reading for older adults and the balance between benefits of lowering blood pressure and the potential risks in this age group

0:46 kindly give this video a thumbs up and consider subscribing to our channel for more health related content in 2017 the American College of Cardiology ACC and the American Heart assoc Association aha released new guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of high blood pressure significantly altering previous standards these guidelines lowered the threshold for diagnosing hypertension categorizing a blood pressure of 130 over 80 mmhg or higher as high blood pressure for all adults the previous threshold was 140 over 90 m M mhg for people

1:31 younger than 65 years and 150 over 80 for those above 65 years the guidelines Define normal blood pressure as less than 120 over 80 mmhg and elevated blood pressure as systolic readings between 120 to 129 mmhg and diastolic readings less than 80 mmhg stage one hypertension is now identified when systolic blood pressure is between 130 to39 mmhg or diastolic pressure is between 80 to 89 mmhg stage two hypertension is diagnosed

2:19 when systolic pressure is 140 mmhg or higher or diastolic pressure is 90 mmhg or higher this simply means if you are an older adult you need to think about your readings this is because if your systolic blood pressure is 140 previously it would have been normal but now you will be classified as a blood pressure patient one of the study that brought about the changes in blood pressure guidelines is the Sprint study the systolic blood pressure intervention trial Sprint published in 2015 aimed to determine the effects of more intensive blood pressure control control in reducing cardiovascular events and mortality among adults at high risk for

3:07 cardiovascular disease but without diabetes the study also excluded participants with dementia and past stroke experiences the study included 9,300 participants age 50 and older who were high risk for cardiovascular disease the average age of the participants was 68 years the participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups a standard treatment group with a systolic blood pressure Target of less than 140 mmhg and an intensive treatment group with a target of less than 120 mm HG this means that the physician prescribed stronger medications to keep their systolic blood pressure below 120

3:54 mmhg the research lasted for 3 years and all through the years researchers monitor the two groups for side effects chronic conditions heart conditions and death after the 3 years the researchers noted that per year 2.19% of the participants in the first group had severe cardiovascular illnesses this percentage was lower in the second group at 1.65% despite the benefits the intensive treatment group experienced a higher rate of some adverse effects such as hypertension low blood pressure electrolyte imbalances and acute kidney injury these findings suggest that while intensive blood pressure control can reduce cardiovascular risk it also

4:41 increases the risk of other serious health issues especially in older adults in another study the 2021 chrt study it looked at the effects of intensive versus standard blood pressure control in over 20,000 Chinese adults a 60 to 80 years the study found that targeting a systolic blood pressure of less than 130 mmhg significantly reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events particularly stroke compared to a target of less than 150 mmhg while intensive treatment also led to higher rates of Adverse Events like hypertension and kidney issues it

5:27 lowered all cause mortality so what are the right numbers most doctors prefer the traditional approach of treating the patient based on their history the Sprint study showed that a systolic blood pressure of 120 is beneficial that might mean too many medications for some people managing side effect is also important especially those of low blood pressure for some older adults particularly those who are frail have multiple comorbidities or are at risk of adverse effects from intensive treatment a more conservative Target of less than 140 to 150 mmhg may be appropriate this is to balance the benefits of lowering blood pressure with the potential risks of

6:13 aggressive treatment such as Falls due to hypertension additionally it's important to remember that it is natural for blood pressure to increase with age especially over the age of 65 this happens for many scientific reasons like changes that happen to the body including loss of elasticity of the blood vessels blood vessels tend to stiffen hormonal changes changes in kidney function and a lot of this is a natural adaptation to the process of Aging our bodies are different and what is right for one person may not be right for another and that's why you shouldn't hurry to your doctor asking for more medication if your blood pressure

7:00 is above 120 instead let your doctor determine the best course of action based on your overall health and other medications the benefits of maintaining your blood pressure at 120 may not be worth the physical mental or emotional cost and sacrifices that in addition to trying to lower the side effects of strong medication it just may not be worth it however we are not suggesting that you allow the blood pressure to drift up to exceedingly high levels if the top number the systolic is above 170 and the bottom number the dioic is above 100 you are in a territory where for most people it should be brought down with medications if in crisis mode

7:46 consult your doctor immediately bottom line is each one of us is different with unique medical history and circumstances that is why it is important to work with a doctor who knows all your medical history your med medications and any side effects you might be experiencing because his her judgment is more important than the general guidelines please check our other blood pressure videos linked here