Hypertension in the elderly.

Hypertension in the older population has a serious prognosis and this is true even for isolated systolic hypertension. There is a markedly increased risk of stroke, cardiovascular disease and central nervous system in such patients. The hemodynamics in hypertension of the elderly differs in a number of parameters from hypertension in the younger patient. In addition, drug metabolism is markedly altered by the aging process. This combination of factors requires a selective choice of agents for the management of hypertension in the elderly. The role of various drug modalities and their efficacy is reviewed in this presentation.