High Blood Pressure May Aid Frail Elderly

Frail older adults may live longer if they have high blood pressure, a new study suggests. The study included 2,340 people who took part in 2 national health surveys. All were age 65 and older. They were given a simple test to see how fast they could walk 20 feet. Those who took more than 8 seconds were considered “slow walkers.” Faster walkers had lower rates of diabetes, heart disease and other conditions. People in a third group were unable to complete the walk. They were classified as frail. In the next 7 years, 589 people in the study died. Among faster walkers, those with high blood pressure were 35 percent more likely to die than those with normal blood pressure. But among the frail group, the death rate was 62% lower for those with high blood pressure. Researchers said blood pressure goals may need to be adjusted for frail elderly people.