ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on two questions: Does the existing literature support the classic blood pressure-age interaction model, and What is the practical significance of blood pressure-related changes in cognitive functioning as opposed to age-related changes. Cross-sectional studies are a poor substitute for longitudinal studies if the goal is to understand how hypertension affects rate of change over time. Two recent cross-sectional studies with the Framingham Heart Study population addressed the question of age cohort by blood pressure interactions within an age range we define as mature to elderly. In a subsequent study we performed a variety of analyses designed to more fully explore the possibility of age by blood pressure interactions for the Framingham sample and found none. The chapter offers some reasons as to why age by blood pressure and age by chronicity of hypertension interactions were not statistically significant.
