Most people know that blood pressure tends to rise from childhood through middle age. But what happens after that has been less clear—until now.
A new study from the University of Exeter has found that blood pressure in older adults actually begins to drop about 14 years before death. This finding could help doctors provide better care for older people.
In the past, doctors noticed that blood pressure sometimes goes down in older adults. Many believed that this was mostly due to medications used to treat high blood pressure. But researchers wanted to find out whether the drop happens naturally as part of aging.
To study this, they looked at the health records of over 46,000 people in the UK who died at age 60 or older. Some of these people had health problems like heart disease or dementia, while others were fairly healthy.
The results were surprising. The researchers found that blood pressure started to drop in nearly everyone—not just in those who were sick. Even older adults without serious illnesses showed a steady drop in blood pressure in the years leading up to death. This suggests the drop could be a natural part of aging, not just a result of disease or medication.
The biggest drops were seen in people with serious conditions like dementia, heart failure, or major weight loss. But even people without those conditions experienced the same pattern, just at a slower rate. This shows that the body may go through changes in blood pressure as part of the natural aging process.
This discovery is important because it may change how doctors manage high blood pressure in older patients. If a drop in blood pressure is a normal part of aging, then reducing medication for some people might be helpful. Doctors may need to look more closely at changes in blood pressure over time to decide the best treatment.
However, the researchers stress that this doesn’t mean people should stop taking their blood pressure medicine. More research is needed to fully understand why blood pressure drops and what it means for long-term health. For now, people should follow their doctor’s advice and keep managing their blood pressure carefully.
This study also raises new questions about aging and how the body changes near the end of life. It could lead to better ways of caring for older adults, especially during their final years.
Other research offers more helpful tips. For example, studies have found that drinking black tea might help lower blood pressure. On the other hand, some medications could raise the risk of problems like heart failure. Understanding these issues can help people make better choices about their health.
The study was led by Professor George Kuchel and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine. It adds new insight into how our bodies work as we grow older and may help improve care for elderly people in the future.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies about Intensive blood pressure treatment for older adults may harm heart and kidneys and What you should know about high blood pressure medications.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies about High blood pressure and marijuana: a risky combination and Common blood pressure drug may not prevent heart attack effectively.
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