Challenges in therapy of hypertension in the elderly

Treating older hypertensive patients presents special challenges. The physiological effects of aging result in hemodynamic and pharmacokinetic changes. Geriatric patients are more likely to have concomitant diseases than younger patients. Treatment regimens should be individualized; monotherapy should be the goal. While most antihypertensive agents can be used, each class of drugs has advantages and disadvantages. Diuretics are both effective and inexpensive but their metabolic side effects (especially hypokalemia) may be quite serious in the geriatric population. Sympatholytics, beta-blockers, alpha-blockers, and direct vasodilators may not be tolerated. The angiotension-converting enzyme inhibitors, captopril and enalapril, are good choices because they have favorable hemodynamics, renin and nonrenin-dependent mechanisms of action and are associated with minimal biochemical alterations. In a recent multicenter study, captopril (25 mg twice daily) was given to 99 geriatric patients with seated diastolic blood pressure (BP) of 92-110 mm Hg. Patients whose blood pressures were not controlled after two weeks of therapy were randomized to either Capozide (captopril, 25 mg with 15 mg hydrochlorothiazide) or captopril, 50 mg twice daily. The average decrease in BP was 16.9/11.9 mm Hg; 75.8% of patients responded to treatment. Black and white patients had equal responses. Only five patients withdrew from the study due to adverse reactions, none of which was serious. Geriatric hypertensives should be treated. Because captopril and Capozide are well-tolerated, effective medications in elderly patients with mild, moderate, or severe hypertension, they should be considered as initial therapy for geriatric hypertension.