Current status and characteristics of hypertension control in community resident elderly Korean people: Data from a Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging (KLoSHa study)

Hypertension is a common disease that greatly impacts the health of the elderly. However, the status of blood pressure (BP) control in the elderly Korean population has not yet been investigated. Subjects aged 65 years or older livings in Seongnam city, a suburb of Seoul, Korea, were included in this study. All subjects were evaluated by a physician, and medication was reviewed by a nurse. Seated BPs were measured by a trained nurse using standard methods. A total of 995 subjects were included in the current analysis (mean age: 76.3±8.7 years). The prevalence of hypertension was 68.7% in the study population, and this value increased with age, peaked in the 75-84 age group, and decreased thereafter. Only 66.1% of hypertensive patients had taken any antihypertensive medication, among which calcium channel blockers (64.2%) were most commonly used. Among the patients on antihypertensive medication, 46% were on combination drug therapy. BP was controlled in 38.5% of hypertensive patients, with systolic BP less controlled than diastolic BP, especially in the oldest-old population. The BP control rate was lower in high-risk patients of diabetes and renal disease. In conclusion, in community resident elderly populations, the BP control rate remains unsatisfactory, especially in high-risk patients. The benefit and optimal level of BP control in oldest-old population must be investigated because a lot of elderly hypertensive patients are currently being managed without definite evidence of related benefits.