Antihypertensive treatment and postprandial blood pressure reduction in the elderly

Recently it has been demonstrated that blood pressure in the elderly decreases after a meal. To evaluate the influence of antihypertensive treatment on postprandial blood pressure reduction in the elderly, the effects of a breakfast (405 kcal) on blood pressure and heart rate were studied in 15 healthy normotensive elderly subjects (mean age 79.5 +/- 6.0 years), in 10 healthy hypertensive elderly subjects (mean age 80.2 +/- 5.7 years) and in 22 hypertensive elderly subjects (mean age 71.4 +/- 5.0 years) treated with antihypertensive medication (diuretics, beta-blockers, vasodilators). In the three groups there was a fall of mean arterial blood pressure of 9.3 +/- 1.9%, 13.8 +/- 1.9% and 7.9 +/- 1.3%, respectively, at 40 min after the start of the breakfast. In all three groups heart rate increased significantly. It is concluded that antihypertensive treatment with the regimens used in this study does not induce an additional fall of blood pressure postprandially. However, the influence of eating should be avoided in the assessment of antihypertensive drug effects in the elderly.