Blood pressure below 140/90 in old age may increase risk of death

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The risk of death for elderly patients increases if blood pressure readings are below 140/90 millimeters of mercury, experts from Germany have found.

Usually, doctors warn about the dangers of high blood pressure, but a study by scientists from the Medical University of Berlin has presented data that pressure below 140/90 millimeters of mercury can also negatively affect people's condition. In particular, experts have found that with such pressure indicators, the risk of death increases in elderly patients over 80 years of age and those who have previously suffered a stroke or myocardial infarction.

The authors of the project analyzed the condition of more than 1,600 men and women over 70 years of age who were treated for hypertension. The researchers found that by the age of 80, elderly people with a pressure below 140/90 millimeters of mercury died 40% more often than those whose pressure was above this level. The same trend was observed among patients who had previously suffered a myocardial infarction or stroke – for them, a pressure below 140/90 was also associated with an increased risk of death. In doing so, experts took into account factors such as medication use, possible kidney disease, blood and urine composition, and bad habits.

The researchers intend to find out what mechanisms determine the association between low blood pressure and an increased risk of death in old age.