Mechanisms of hypertension in the elderly.

It has long been recognized that, with advancing age, basal systolic blood pressure increases within the clinically "normal" range in many individuals. Likewise, the prevalence of clinical hypertension, either systolic plus diastolic or isolated systolic, also increases with age. This report reviews the purported mechanisms underlying these types of hypertension and discusses age-associated changes in the cardiovascular system of normotensive individuals that could plausibly interact with these pathophysiologic mechanisms of hypertension.