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Changes in blood pressure in a large cohort of elderly individuals: Study 3C.

Authors :: Lachouri M
Gourlet V
D'Athis P
Tzourio C
Quantin C
Source :: Archives of cardiovascular diseases [Arch Cardiovasc Dis] 2009 Feb; Vol. 102 (2), pp. 127-34. Date of Electronic Publication: 2009 Feb 12.
Publication Year :: 2009
Abstract: Objective: Analysis of changes in blood pressure with a two-year interval, and of factors associated with this change, in a large cohort of elderly individuals.<br />Methods: Follow-up of a cohort of 9294 individuals aged 65 years and over recruited from the general population for Study 3C. Changes in blood pressure are defined as the difference in its averages between the inclusion visit and the follow-up visit at 2 years. The factors associated with changes in systolic blood pressure were identified by univariate and multivariate analyses.<br />Results: Systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased on average by 7.60 mmHg and 4.45 mmHg respectively in 7659 individuals included in the study between the initial measurement and the follow-up at 2 years. The analyses revealed that the initial high blood pressure level was the main factor for this decrease that would be explained by a phenomenon of regression towards the mean.<br />Conclusion: These results confirm the importance of repeating blood pressure measurements during several examinations for a good estimate of individual blood pressure values in this age range. It is also important to consider this phenomenon in studies including specific blood pressure estimates only.