Recent advances in the management of hypertension in the elderly.

Important new advances have occurred in our understanding and approach to management of high blood pressure in the elderly. New clinical trials have re-emphasized the risk of development of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications associated with isolated elevations in systolic blood pressure as well as the safety and efficacy of interventions to reduce blood pressure. These trials have shown that systolic blood pressure can be reduced by interventions such as weight loss, restriction of dietary sodium intake, and drugs. In several new trials, the long-acting dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers have been found to be safe and effective in these patients but not superior to other drugs. As in younger individuals with hypertension, drug therapy should be targeted to address comorbidity. Education of primary care physicians concerning these new findings is the next step in reducing the morbidity and mortality of this common problem in the elderly.