ABSTRACT
There is strong evidence from large, well-controlled clinical trials which indicates that
elderly patients with either combined systolic and diastolic hypertension or isolated
systolic hypertension (ISH) benefit greatly from pharmacological blood pressure
reduction (1). These studies demonstrate that treatment can reduce the risk of both
cardiovascular and cerebrovascular morbidity. This chapter first reviews the pathophysi-
ology of hypertension in the elderly and the rationale for both nonpharmacological and
pharmacological treatments.
