24 May Elderly Hypertensive Patient With Declining Kidney Function Risk Cardiovascular Events
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Enayet Karim Chowdhury, Research Fellow
Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine
School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine
Monash University The Alfred Centre
Melbourne VIC 3004
Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Dr. Chowdhury: The study was conducted on elderly treated hypertensive population. Australia is currently undergoing a demographic transition towards having increasing number of older people. As age advances quality of life becomes increasingly affected by a variety of chronic diseases including poor renal function. Therefore early detection and management of the risk associated with these chronic diseases is crucial. Managing hypertension, even though challenging, can significantly improve quality of life of a person by reducing risk of having cardiovascular events. The main finding of the study is that in elderly treated hypertensive people, a rapid decline in renal function was associated with a higher risk of having cardiovascular events irrespective of having chronic kidney disease or not.
Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?
Dr. Chowdhury: In elderly hypertesnsive people, even those without having chronic kidney disease, changes in renal function should be assessed using estimated glomerular filtration rate. Clinicians should make decisions about management of hypertension considering patients demographic and clinical characteristics in older patients based on changes in renal function to reduce cardiovascular risk.
Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Dr. Chowdhury: Renal function decline with advancing age is well established. Our findings suggest that in older adults with hypertension a more rapid annual decline in renal function is independently associated with a greater chance of both all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Therefore, controlling only hypertension is not enough to reduce risk of having cardiovascular events. Further research is necessary to identify how rapid decline in renal function can be minimized among elderly hypertensive patients.
Citation:
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MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Enayet Karim Chowdhury, Research Fellow (2015). Elderly Hypertensive Patient With Declining Kidney Function Risk Cardiovascular Events
Last Updated on May 24, 2015 by Marie Benz MD FAAD