title: [Treatment of arterial hypertension in the elderly person: unresolved problems].
abstract: There is not increasing evidence that, from an epidemiological stand-point, treatment of diastolic hypertension in the elderly leads to a significant cardiovascular risk reduction; however, for the individual patient, the magnitude of absolute risk reduction is relatively small. More widespread use of ambulatory blood pressure recording is suggested in order to improve patient selection - i.e. to avoid antihypertensive treatment in patients with white coat hypertension - and to prevent overtreatment in patients with established hypertension. This strategy should result in a selection of elderly, hypertensive patients who are more likely to benefit from pharmacological treatment and thus restrict the number of patients needing treatment for prevention of a cardiovascular complication. Furthermore, by decreasing the risk of overtreatment, this strategy is likely to result in a decrease in the number of medication-related side effects such as coronary morbidity and mortality.
authors.affiliation: Policlinique médicale universitaire, Lausanne.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Scherrer
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents
vernacular_title: Traitement de l'hypertension artérielle chez le sujet âgé: problèmes non résolus.