Higher blood pressure threshold OK in older adults

People 60 and older don't need to be treated as aggressively for high blood pressure, according to new physician guidelines that may help lower the number of medicines taken by baby boomers.

The recommendations, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggest treatment goals for older people should be set at 150-over-90 millimeters of mercury, based on studies showing these patients fare just as well over time at this higher level.

The goal for other groups is 140 over 90, according to the guidelines by a panel convened by the U.S. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

The top number in a blood pressure reading is the systolic rate and shows the pressure when the heart beats. The lower number is the diastolic reading, which measures the pressure between heartbeats.

Hypertension increases the risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death worldwide. Studies show about 90 percent of people may eventually develop it. While the changes probably won't reduce how many people are treated for hypertension, the new goals may trim the number and types of pills patients have to take, doctors said.

"Hypertension is a disorder that requires many medications, and the patient doesn't feel any better when you treat them," said Dr. Richard Krasuski, a Cleveland Clinic cardiologist who was not involved in writing the guidelines.

Many people who suffer from hypertension require several types of drugs for their treatment, which can extend life by more than two years.

People ages 60 and older were the focus of the guidelines because they "are a unique population and we are concerned about the number of medications that may be required," said Paul James, the lead author of the article and chairman of family medicine at the University of Iowa. "There are side effects from each and every medication, and there may be drug-drug interactions."

The guidelines give doctors greater leeway when deciding which drug to prescribe to prevent heart disease.

Four popular classes of medicines were recommended as appropriate initial therapy, including ACE inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, calcium channel blockers and thiazide-type diuretics.

The last guidelines, published in 2004, said treatment should start with diuretics and then add other medicines as needed. All have been shown to cut the risk of heart attack, stroke and kidney disease while prolonging life.