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Mechanisms of hypertension in the elderly
1Laboratory of Cardiovascular Science, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, Maryland 21224.
Insights
As people age, systolic blood pressure often rises within the normal range, and hypertension prevalence increases. This review explores the mechanisms behind age-related blood pressure changes and cardiovascular system adaptations.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Gerontology
- Hypertension Research
Background:
- Systolic blood pressure naturally increases with age, even within clinically normal ranges.
- The incidence of both systolic-diastolic and isolated systolic hypertension rises with advancing age.
- Understanding these age-related changes is crucial for cardiovascular health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the proposed mechanisms driving age-related hypertension.
- To discuss how cardiovascular changes in normotensive aging individuals may interact with hypertension mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on aging, blood pressure, and cardiovascular physiology.
- Analysis of pathophysiologic mechanisms of hypertension.
- Discussion of age-associated cardiovascular system alterations.
Main Results:
- Age-related increases in basal systolic blood pressure are common.
- Hypertension prevalence, including isolated systolic hypertension, escalates with age.
- Normotensive aging involves cardiovascular changes that may predispose to hypertension.
Conclusions:
- Age-associated cardiovascular modifications play a role in the development of hypertension.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the interplay between aging cardiovascular system and hypertension.
- Targeting age-related cardiovascular changes may offer new avenues for hypertension prevention.
Abstract:
It has long been recognized that, with advancing age, basal systolic blood pressure increases within the clinically "normal" range in many individuals. Likewise, the prevalence of clinical hypertension, either systolic plus diastolic or isolated systolic, also increases with age. This report reviews the purported mechanisms underlying these types of hypertension and discusses age-associated changes in the cardiovascular system of normotensive individuals that could plausibly interact with these pathophysiologic mechanisms of hypertension.