Title
Blood pressure and mortality in elderly people aged 85 and older: Community based study
Author
TNO Preventie en Gezondheid
Boshuizen, H.C.
Izaks, G.J.
van Buuren, S.
Ligthart, G.J.
Publication year
1998
Abstract
Objective: To determine whether the inverse relation between blood pressure and all cause mortality in elderly people over 85 years of age can be explained by adjusting for health status, and to determine whether high blood pressure is a risk factor for mortality when the effects of poor health are accounted for. Design: 5 to 7 year follow up of community residents aged 85 years and older. Setting: Leiden, the Netherlands. Subjects: 835 subjects whose blood pressure was recorded between 1987 and 1989. Main outcome measure: All cause mortality. Results: An inverse relation between blood pressure and all cause mortality was observed. For diastolic blood pressure crude 5 year all cause mortality decreased from 88% (52/59) (95% confidence interval 79% to 95%) in those with diastolic blood pressures < 65 mmHg to 59% (27/46) (44% to 72%) in those with diastolic pressures > 100 mmHg. For systolic blood pressure crude 5 year all cause mortality decreased from 85% (95/112) (78% to 91%) in those with systolic pressures < 125 mmHg to 59% (13/22) (38% to 78%) in those with systolic pressures > 200 mmHg. This decrease was no longer significant after adjustment for indicators of poor health. No relation existed between blood pressure and mortality from cardiovascular causes or stroke after adjustment for age and sex, but after adjustment for age, sex, and indicators of poor health there was a positive relation between diastolic blood pressure and mortality from both cardiovascular causes and stroke. Conclusion: The inverse relation between blood pressure and all cause mortality in elderly people over 85 is associated with health status.
Subject
Age Distribution
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Blood Pressure
Cause of Death
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Health Status
Humans
Male
Netherlands
Residence Characteristics
Risk Factors
Sex Distribution
Urban Health
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TNO identifier
234503
ISSN
0959-8146
Source
British Medical Journal, 316 (316), 1780-1784
Document type
article