High blood pressure in older people

It is not unusual in industrialized countries for older people to suffer from high blood pressure.

Due to our unhealthy lifestyle and the often very high-fat diet, 2 out of 3 people suffer from high blood pressure by the age of 70 at the latest.

However, many people are not aware of the serious consequences that high blood pressure can have. Because untreated high blood pressure can lead to a heart attack or a stroke.

If you notice high blood pressure symptoms, you should start measuring your blood pressure regularly.

What are the symptoms of high blood pressure?

If you experience the following symptoms, you should consult a doctor to determine whether or not you have high blood pressure.

• Frequent dizziness,
• Frequently reddened face,
• Regular headaches,
• Nosebleeds at regular intervals.

The symptoms can occur either in combination, but also sporadically, nevertheless, these symptoms should be taken seriously and you should consult a cardiologist, he can best advise you in this case.

How safe is drug treatment with antihypertensives??

The medication group of antihypertensives is very well researched and treatment with them is very promising in most cases.

For older people, antihypertensives are suitable, which lower the blood pressure slowly and in a controlled manner.

Attention! For each patient, a different target value may be correct, perhaps a blood pressure of less than 140 mmHg is correct for one patient and not for another.

Of course, there are guideline values that can be used as a guide. However, every body is different and older people in particular have other conditions that play an important role in setting blood pressure.

What is a normal blood pressure value in old age?

For an adult who has an average age of 40 years, the blood pressure values are normally 120/80 mmHg.

In older people, values of 150/90 are perfectly fine, because as we age, the arteries become less flexible and the arteries become harder and harder.

This means that the blood pressure can no longer be regulated really well and the values rise somewhat.

However, since this is normal for the aging process of the body, you should generally not worry about these values if you are over 60 years old.

Of course, each case must be considered individually here and attention must also be paid to certain diseases of the respective person.

If you are unsure, simply contact your doctor.

How to lower blood pressure in old age?

In principle, older people can have a strong influence on their blood pressure values with a healthier lifestyle.

In particular, a very fatty diet and a lot of meat have an incredibly negative effect on blood pressure.

For older people with high blood pressure, a meat-free diet is therefore recommended, or at least to reduce meat consumption.

Other risk factors are of course alcohol and cigarettes, both of which are very harmful to the vessels.

Cigarettes in particular calcify the arteries, making them less able to transport blood around the body and increasing the risk of high blood pressure.

Older people should also pay attention to sufficient exercise, here no long distances need to be covered.

However, seniors should get at least 45 minutes of fresh air exercise a day, as far as their physical condition naturally allows.

As a result, the muscles are filled with blood and the heart has to work a little harder; this short-term strain is good for the heart muscle and blood pressure regulation.

Also important is a healthy sleep, because lack of sleep can also increase blood pressure.

Because sleeping has been shown to lower blood pressure and allow the body to relax.

Therefore, older people should pay attention to their sleep and get enough rest.

Sources:
Diers, Haberl: Hypertension. Eschborn, 2003.