Simple drug treatment could save the lives of many older people who have hypertension, according to a new report. The report, "Effectiveness matters", was produced by the NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at the University of York.
Despite the fact that hypertension is very common, occurring in over half of all people over the age of 65 (about five million people in the UK), it remains underdetected and undertreated, the report says. Antihypertensive drug treatments are effective at reducing mortality and morbidity in older people, particularly producing significant reductions in morbidity from stroke and coronary heart disease. The report says that there is strong evidence for the use of thiazide diuretics as first line agents, and some evidence for the use of beta-blockers.
The report calls for the development of systems to ensure that older people with hypertension are diagnosed, treated and followed up.