It is just another one of those joys of aging. The risk of developing high blood pressure increases as we get older. The increased risk actually begins in midlife. Men over the age of 45 and women over the age of 55 are more apt to develop hypertension than younger people. The risk seems to increase in direct proportion to the aging process.
For seniors, it seems that an increased systolic pressure is actually of more concern than an increased diastolic pressure. (Systolic pressure is the pressure in the veins as the heart beats. It is the larger number in a blood pressure reading and is expressed first. Diastolic pressure is the pressure in the veins when the heart is at rest between beats and it is the lower number that is expressed second.) Optimal reading for adults under the age of 50 is 120/80. As we age, the optimal reading does increase, but it shouldn’t be over 139/89.
When the systolic pressure is higher than optimal but the diastolic pressure is within the normal range, it appears that seniors have a higher risk of dementia. There was a time when it was assumed that only an elevated diastolic pressure was a problem, but doctors know better now. A systolic pressure that is too high needs to be treated just as aggressively as a diastolic reading that is too high.
The problem in treating a blood pressure with a high systolic reading but a normal diastolic reading is that the diastolic reading cannot be taken under 70. So treatment is a bit tricky, and blood pressure needs to be monitored very carefully.
Hypertension is a medical problem that needs to be treated no matter what the age of the patient, but seniors are much more apt to suffer heart attack or stroke because of high blood pressure than other age groups.
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