The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association have issued the first guidance specifically for the treatment of hypertension in patients 65 and older in the form of an expert consensus document.

In general, the target blood pressure should be less than 140/90 mm Hg, although the authors acknowledged that there was some uncertainty about whether patients 80 and older should have a different goal than those ages 65 to 79.

A systolic target of 140 to 145 mm Hg would be acceptable for patients who have reached 80, noted the writing committee, co-chaired by Wilbert Aronow, MD, of New York Medical College, Jerome Fleg, MD, of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, and Carl Pepine, MD, of the University of Florida.

The new recommendations were developed in collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology, the American Geriatrics Society, the American Society of Hypertension, the American Society of Nephrology, the American Society for Preventive Cardiology, the Association of Black Cardiologists, and the European Society of Hypertension.

Read more: http://www.medpagetoday.com/Cardiology/Hypertension/26110