ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION IN THE ELDERLY - THE HEART OF THE MATTER

Arterial hypertension is a public health issue that has not been completely solved from an epidemiological point of view in terms of its assessment and particular management. Poor data from trials allow only general recommendations limiting the decisions in clinical practice. Elderly hypertensives are a special group characterized by a particular blood pressure profile, most often an isolated systolic hypertension, and prone to orthostatic hypotension, pseudohypertension and blood pressure variability that impose strict rules and various methods of blood pressure measurement for making appropriate therapeutic decisions. The approach of the elderly hypertensive patient is also complex as it requires rigor and flexibility, well- balanced choice of therapy, careful, regular monitoring, polypharmacy avoidance, and a close relationship between the physician and the patient in order to increase compliance.