We know that blood pressure usually rises from childhood into middle age. But until now, scientists weren’t sure what happens to blood pressure as people get older.
A new study from the University of Exeter has found that in older adults, blood pressure begins to drop about 14 years before death. This discovery may help doctors provide better care for aging people.
In the past, doctors noticed that blood pressure sometimes fell in older people. They often thought this was caused by medicine used to treat high blood pressure. But researchers wanted to find out if this drop was really due to the treatment or if it was a natural part of getting older.
To explore this, the researchers studied the medical records of more than 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 relatively healthy.
What the researchers found was surprising. Blood pressure dropped in almost everyone, not just those who were sick. Even older people who had no serious illnesses showed a steady drop in blood pressure in the years before they died. This suggests that the change is not just a sign of illness, but possibly a normal part of aging.
The biggest drops in blood pressure were seen in people who had serious conditions like dementia, heart failure, or major weight loss. But the pattern also appeared in healthier people, which shows that the drop might be part of the body’s natural process as it nears the end of life.
This finding is important for doctors. If blood pressure naturally declines in old age, medical treatments may need to be adjusted. Doctors may need to look at blood pressure changes more closely and consider whether lowering medication in some patients is helpful or harmful.
Still, this does not mean that people should stop taking their blood pressure medicine. The researchers stress that more research is needed to understand why blood pressure drops and what it means for a person’s health. For now, people should continue managing high blood pressure as advised by their doctor.
This study opens up new questions about aging and health. It may help guide better care for older adults, especially in the final years of life.
Other studies on blood pressure also offer useful information. For example, drinking black tea might help lower blood pressure, and some medications could carry risks such as heart failure. Learning about these issues can help people make smart 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 gives new insight into how our bodies change as we grow older and may help improve care for the elderly in the future.
If you care about high blood pressure, please read studies that early time-restricted eating could help improve blood pressure, and coconut sugar could help reduce blood pressure and artery stiffness.
For more information about blood pressure, please see recent studies about added sugar in your diet linked to higher blood pressure, and results showing plant-based foods could benefit people with high blood pressure.
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