title: Prevalence, awareness, and control of hypertension in elderly and very elderly in Poland: results of a cross-sectional representative survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to examine prevalence, awareness, and control of hypertension in elderly and very elderly in Poland.
  
  
  METHODS
  The random sample of 4950 study participants aged 65 or more (age range 65-104 years), equally distributed in six age subgroups, and participated in cross-sectional, nationally representative survey PolSenior. During two separate visits, standardized interviews on awareness of hypertension as well as anthropometric measurements, blood pressure (BP) and heart rate readings were obtained. Hypertension was defined according to 2013 European Society of Hypertension/European Society of Cardiology Guidelines.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean SBP was highest in men aged 75-79 years (148.3  mmHg) and in women aged 80-84 years (149.9  mmHg), and then steadily decreased, whereas DBP decreased steadily from age 65. Hypertension affected about 80% of septuagenarians. Its prevalence decreased with age to 67% in women and 60% in men aged 90 years or older. In nonagenarians, awareness of hypertension (72% in women and 61% in men) and percentage of treated study participants (64% of women and 54% of men) was the lowest. In contrast, among treated study participants proportion of well controlled (BP < 140/90  mmHg) was the highest in people older than 85 reaching 34% among nonagenarian women and 38% in men.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results show a reversed trend in prevalence and control of hypertension in people aged 80 years and older when compared with the younger elderly. As awareness and treatment of hypertension decreases with advanced age, it seems reasonable to extend screening programs and antihypertensive initiatives for the elderly and very elderly.
authors.affiliation: aDepartment of Preventive Medicine and Education, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk bDepartment of Internal Medicine and Gerontology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow cDepartment of Nephrology, Endocrinology, and Metabolic Diseases, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice dInternational Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Warsaw eDepartment of Pathophysiology, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland fDepartment of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK g3rd Department of Cardiology, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice hDepartment of Epidemiology, Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease and Health Promotion, Institute of Cardiology, Warsaw iDepartment of Hypertension and Diabetology, Medical University of Gdansk, Poland *Deceased.
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zdrojewski
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wizner
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Więcek
authors.forename: Przemysław
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ślusarczyk
authors.forename: Jerzy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chudek
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mossakowska
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bandosz
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bobak
authors.forename: Krystyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kozakiewicz
authors.forename: Grażyna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Broda
authors.forename: Bogdan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wyrzykowski
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Grodzicki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001364:Awareness; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D044465:White People
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents