[Blood pressure control by antihypertensive agents in people older than 60].

Purpose: The prevalence or hypertension increases with aging, reaching more than 50% in people aged 60 years and older. The increase of systolic blood pressure is a major risk of cardiovascular event.
Methods: With the aim of assessing risk factors in old people "in apparent good health", we analysed blood pressure and treatments in people aged 60 years and older who had a periodic check-up that was adapted to older people.
Results: This check-up concerned, between April and December 2003, 1638 people with a mean age of 68 years (SD 5.7): 815 men and 823 women. Fourty percent had a systolic blood pressure (SBP) >or=140 mmHg (44% of men, 36% of women); 6% (8% of men, 4% of women) had a diastolic blood pressure (DBP) >or=90 mmHg. A treatment for hypertension was followed by 473 people: 31% of men and 26% of women. Fifty percent were controlled for the SBP and the DBP. Fourty-two percent were not controlled for the SBP, but were controlled for the DBP. Seven percent were not controlled for the SBP nor the DBP. Only 3 subjects (<1%) were not controlled for the DBP, whereas they were controlled for SBP.
Conclusion: These results, combined with data of literature on the predominant role of SBP in cardio-vascular risk, as compared with DBP, underline the need for a better treatment of systolic hypertension in older people.