M OLD AGE X BP X MORTY

Revisiting the Association of Blood Pressure With Mortality in Oldest Old People in China

BMJ 

TAKE-HOME MESSAGE

• This community-based longitudinal prospective study examined the association of blood pressure with all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality at 3 years among oldest old people in China (mean age, 92.1). The authors involved 4658 individuals and discovered a U-shaped association between systolic blood pressure and all-cause mortality at 3 years.
• This association could be explained by the finding that higher systolic blood pressure predicted a higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease and that lower systolic blood pressure predicted a higher risk of death from non-cardiovascular causes. These findings underscore the importance of appropriate blood pressure management in this population.#

that 120 mm Hg is a good target, at least for now. Lower numbers may cause more hypotension and other unwanted side effects. Patients who naturally have a systolic blood pressure that is lower than 107 mm Hg may have other underlying diseases, which may be driving mortality. So, we need to remember that lower is better to a point, and for now that point is 120 mm Hg.