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I am writing in support of O’Brien’s article (1) about blood
pressure.
We do believe that measuring blood pressure in the elderly using
automated sphygmomanometry is very important. We have studied all our
ambulatory blood pressure monitoring between January 1999 and December
1999 here in Colchester General Hospital. Altogether there were 72
patients, 48 female, 24 male. The commonest cause for 24-hr tape in our
hospital was monitoring therapy at 53% and then white coat hypertension
26%. 17% was for evaluation of treatment related hypertensive symptoms.
From our study it was clear that as a result of the 24-hr blood pressure
monitoring, in about 25% there was no need to change any treatment and 14%
resulted in no treatment at all, in 15% we stopped medication. Only 6% of
patients resulted in increasing the dose and another 6% resulted in
changing the class of the agent for hypertension, and 13% to add another
agent.
This shows a clear indication for proper assessment of the
elderly, who are alleged to be hypertensive by 24-hr blood pressure
monitoring, and it will result in a more scientific way of managing
hypertension in the elderly, especially when polypharmacy is a major
problem in the elderly population.
T.N. Shawis, Consultant Physician, Colchester General Hospital
K Peddi, Senior SHO, Colchester General Hospital.
(1) Eoin O’Brien, Gareth Beevers, Gregory Y H Lip.
BMJ 2001, 1110 – 1114, 5th May 2001.
Automated sphygmomanometry: ambulatory blood pressure measurement.
I am writing in support of O’Brien’s article (1) about blood
pressure.
We do believe that measuring blood pressure in the elderly using
automated sphygmomanometry is very important. We have studied all our
ambulatory blood pressure monitoring between January 1999 and December
1999 here in Colchester General Hospital. Altogether there were 72
patients, 48 female, 24 male. The commonest cause for 24-hr tape in our
hospital was monitoring therapy at 53% and then white coat hypertension
26%. 17% was for evaluation of treatment related hypertensive symptoms.
From our study it was clear that as a result of the 24-hr blood pressure
monitoring, in about 25% there was no need to change any treatment and 14%
resulted in no treatment at all, in 15% we stopped medication. Only 6% of
patients resulted in increasing the dose and another 6% resulted in
changing the class of the agent for hypertension, and 13% to add another
agent.
This shows a clear indication for proper assessment of the
elderly, who are alleged to be hypertensive by 24-hr blood pressure
monitoring, and it will result in a more scientific way of managing
hypertension in the elderly, especially when polypharmacy is a major
problem in the elderly population.
T.N. Shawis,
Consultant Physician,
Colchester General Hospital
K Peddi,
Senior SHO,
Colchester General Hospital.
(1) Eoin O’Brien, Gareth Beevers, Gregory Y H Lip.
BMJ 2001, 1110 – 1114, 5th May 2001.
Competing interests: No competing interests