17 Jul Elderly At Greater Risk of Falls With Intensive Blood Pressure Control
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Donal J. Sexton, BSc, MD
The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing
Trinity College Dublin
Health Research Board Clinical Research Facility Galway
National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
Trinity Health Kidney Centre, Tallaght Hospital
Department of Nephrology, Beaumont Hospital, Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland
Dublin, Ireland
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: In this study we used the inclusion criteria for SPRINT to identify those community dwelling elders who would meet criteria for the trial in clinical practice.
Our data are based on a prospective cohort study composed of participants chosen by a national stratified random sampling mechanism. If SPRINT participants were truly representative of the population, then the participants in the standard care arm of the trial should resemble the population to some extent. If this were true then the injurious falls rate might be similar between the two samples also.
MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?
Response: Community dwelling elders meeting criteria for intensive blood pressure lowering as proposed by SPRINT have a baseline injurious falls rate much higher than that observed in the trial.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Response: Physicians who are treating hypertension in community dwelling elders should individualize their care in order to balance the risks and benefits of intensive blood pressure lowering.
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Last Updated on July 17, 2017 by Marie Benz MD FAAD