| Blood Pressure Control Boosts Cerebral
Blood Flow in the Elderly
By David Douglas
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Feb 09 - In elderly patients
with elevated systolic blood pressure, antihypertensive
therapy increases carotid distensibility and cerebral
blood flow, researchers report. Contrary to widely
held beliefs, "Older patients have as much or
more to gain from aggressive antihypertensive therapy
as young people do," Dr. Lewis A. Lipsitz told
Reuters Health.
He noted that "many physicians are reluctant
to lower blood pressure to recommended levels in elderly
people because they believe this will reduce blood
flow to the brain through stiff and narrowed carotid
arteries."
To investigate, Dr. Lipsitz of the Hebrew Rehabilitation
Center for Aged, Boston and colleagues prospectively
studied patients aged 65 years or more and report
their findings in the February issue of Hypertension.
The patient groups consisted of 19 normotensive subjects,
18 treated hypertensive subjects with systolic BP
below 140 mm Hg, and 18 with uncontrolled hypertension
and systolic BP greater than 160 mm Hg at study entry.
The uncontrolled group underwent aggressive treatment
with lisinopril and other agents for 6 months. The
other 2 groups were simply observed during this period.
At the end of the 6-month term of successful treatment,
the hitherto uncontrolled group had significant increases
in cerebral blood flow velocity and carotid distensibility
on Doppler ultrasonography that was not seen in the
other groups. Therapy did not cause cerebral hypoperfusion.
Thus, Dr. Lipsitz concluded, "Our study shows
that 6 months of antihypertensive therapy improves
blood flow to the brain and actually reduces the stiffness
of the carotid arteries."
|
