SYSTOLIC HYPERTENSION

Course overview

ISOLATED SYSTOLIC HYPERTENSION IS THE PREDOMINANT FORM OF HYPERTENSION IN THE ELDERLY POPULATION. TRADITIONALLY IT HAS BEEN DEFINED AS SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (SBP) ABOVE 140 MMHG WITH DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (DBP) OF LESS THAN 90 MMHG. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT 15 PERCENT OF PEOPLE 60 YEARS OLD AND ABOVE HAVE ISOLATED SYSTOLIC HYPERTENSION. PER THE 2017 AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY/AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION BLOOD PRESSURE GUIDELINES, HOWEVER, AN SBP OF 130 MM HG IS NOW CONSIDERED HYPERTENSIVE AT ALL AGES. THE NEW DEFINITION OF HYPERTENSION WILL LEAD TO AN INCREASED NUMBER OF ELDERLY BEING DIAGNOSED WITH HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE. ISOLATED SYSTOLIC HYPERTENSION REMAINS AN IMPORTANT PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN AS CHRONICALLY UNTREATED HIGH SBP PATIENTS CARRY SIGNIFICANT MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE EVALUATION AND MANAGEMENT OF ISOLATED SYSTOLIC HYPERTENSION AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN EVALUATING AND IMPROVING CARE FOR PATIENTS WITH THIS CONDITION.