title: Blood pressure control and clustering of cardiovascular risk factors in Mediterranean post-menopausal hypertensive women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Control of hypertension is unsatisfactory among older women. Data about Mediterranean countries are not currently reported.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present study was to describe the features of blood pressure (BP) control and the clustering of other cardiovascular (CV) risk factors in Mediterranean post-menopausal hypertensive women.
  
  
  METHODS
  We consecutively selected 516 post-menopausal female patients (mean age 69±11 years) with drug-treated essential hypertension (ESH/ESC grade 1 and 2) for this cross-sectional study. All patients were divided in 4 groups: < 60 years; 60-69 years; 70-79 years; ≥ 80 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance showed a significant difference among the 4 age groups both for systolic BP (p < 0.001) and diastolic BP (p < 0.01). Mann-Whitney test for multiple comparisons of each age group vs. octogenarians demonstrated that there is a significant incremental trend of SBP through the age decades. Mean diastolic BP values were significantly higher in younger patients (age decades < 60 and 60-69 years, p < 0.01 and p < 0.05 respectively), while in patients aged 70-79 years there was no difference vs. octogenarians. Dyslipidemia was the more prevalent clustered risk factor with a peak rate of 49% in patients aged 60-69 years, statistically different (p < 0.05) from octogenarians. Global BP control (i.e. treated BP < 140/90 mmHg) was low (33.5% in the whole population) and there was no trend through age decades.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BP control varied across age groups, but was poor. Nevertheless, the studied population appeared to be at low cardiovascular risk, due to a modest clustering of traditional risk factors.
authors: Department of Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Nephrologic and Geriatric Sciences, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy. gpann@libero.it  
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Pannarale
authors: M C
authors: MC
authors: Acconcia
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Licitra
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Centaro
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Pannitteri
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D019083:Mediterranean Region; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause; D012307:Risk Factors